As the U.S. Job Market Weakens, Key Layoff Announcements to Watch Out For
Current Job Market Challenges: The job market is tightening as companies slow hiring and implement layoffs due to rising operational costs, tariffs, and shifts in consumer behavior, leading to increased worker anxiety.
Recent Layoffs: Major companies like ConocoPhillips, Intel, Microsoft, and Procter & Gamble have announced significant layoffs, while federal employees face uncertainty following job cuts and a prolonged government shutdown.
Unemployment Rates: The Labor Department reported an increase in unemployment to 4.4% after the government shutdown, highlighting the economic impact of recent job cuts.
Stock Market Insights: Analysts predict Amazon stock has significant growth potential, with a target price suggesting over 28% upside, while Lufthansa stock is expected to decline, indicating varying market expectations.
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- Acquisition Completed: B&J Welding Supply successfully acquired GM Welding Supply in the summer of 2025, enhancing its product offerings and customer service capabilities by integrating GM's distribution of industrial gases and welding supplies in San Angelo.
- New Store Openings: B&J plans to open new locations in Odessa, TX in Q4 2025 and Abilene, TX in Q1 2026, further expanding its market presence across Texas and surrounding states.
- Strategic Expansion Goals: B&J Welding Supply aims to grow its footprint through strategic acquisitions and new store openings, seeking partnerships with best-in-class independent packaged gas distributors to preserve the independent mindset and family legacy in the industry.
- Leadership Commitment: CEO Jason Jones emphasized that the company's growth will enhance its ability to deliver reliable service to existing customers while reaching new clients, reflecting confidence in future expansion opportunities.
- Global Sales Data: In January 2026, global electric vehicle sales reached 1.2 million units, reflecting a 3% year-over-year decline and a staggering 44% drop from December 2025, indicating a sharp decrease in market demand that could impact revenue expectations for related companies.
- Impact on China Market: As the world's largest EV market, China saw a 20% year-over-year sales drop and a 55% decline from December, primarily due to new purchase taxes and reduced incentives, leading to a more market-driven environment that adversely affected sales for companies like Tesla.
- North America Challenges: North American EV sales fell by 33% year-over-year, highlighting the negative impact of the expiration of federal EV tax credits on market dynamics, which may lower consumer purchasing willingness and hinder overall market growth.
- European Market Resilience: Despite challenges, Europe sold over 320,000 EVs in January 2026, marking a 24% increase year-over-year, demonstrating the region's ongoing efforts to boost sales to meet EU emissions targets, particularly with subsidies reintroduced in key markets like the UK, Germany, and France.
- Market Reaction: Following the Trump administration's revocation of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding, shares of pure-play EV manufacturers like Tesla (TSLA), Rivian (RIVN), and Lucid (LCID) fell by as much as 5%, while traditional automakers such as General Motors (GM), Ford (F), and Stellantis (STLA) saw their stocks rise, with STLA increasing by 4% at its peak.
- Economic Impact: The EPA stated that the new final rule will save Americans over $1.3 trillion, primarily by reducing the costs of new vehicles and EV equipment purchases, potentially stimulating growth in the traditional automotive market.
- Policy Background: Trump claimed that the revoked scientific finding lacked factual and legal basis, asserting that it “severely damaged the American auto industry” and criticized existing EV promotion laws as “mandates,” which could lead to significant price increases for consumers.
- Consumer Impact: The EPA alleged that the repeal of the finding would result in average cost savings of over $2,400 per vehicle, although this could negatively affect EV sales, especially after the federal tax credit of $7,500 was eliminated last year.
- Policy Reversal: The EPA's decision to reverse its finding on greenhouse gas harms may boost sales of gas-guzzling vehicles but poses a significant threat to the electric vehicle market, particularly after the removal of federal tax credits, which led to a dramatic drop in EV sales in October.
- Market Reaction: According to Cox Automotive, EVs peaked at 10.3% of the new vehicle market in September, just before federal incentives ended, but sales plummeted afterward, indicating a direct impact of policy changes on consumer demand for electric vehicles.
- Industry Opposition: Automakers like Tesla oppose the EPA's decision, arguing that reversing the endangerment finding undermines the regulatory framework that supports investments in EVs, potentially harming consumer choice and economic benefits while affecting the integrated North American automotive sector.
- Future Outlook: Despite policy challenges, the market potential for EVs remains strong, as battery prices decline and the number of models increases, with experts suggesting that the commercial viability of EVs will continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace due to current regulatory headwinds.
- EPA Decision Reversal: The EPA's decision to no longer regulate greenhouse gases, based on its interpretation of the Clean Air Act, could pose significant challenges for the U.S. electric vehicle market, especially as global competition in EVs intensifies.
- Decline in EV Sales: Following the removal of federal tax credits, EV sales plummeted in October, dropping from 10.3% market share in September, highlighting a disconnect between consumer demand and policy support that may hinder future market growth.
- Automaker Responses: Ford has expressed support for a unified national standard, arguing that current emissions regulations do not align with consumer choices, reflecting the automotive industry's divisions over environmental policies, particularly between EVs and traditional vehicles.
- Tesla's Position: Tesla opposes the EPA's reconsideration of the endangerment finding, asserting that this regulatory framework has provided stability for its investments in product development, warning that abandoning fuel-efficiency goals could negatively impact consumer choice and economic benefits.

- Trump's Action: President Donald Trump is set to revoke a significant Environmental Protection Agency finding.
- Impact on Climate Rules: This revocation will affect the legal foundation for climate regulations in the United States.






