Real world test: Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is hosting the 2018 annual LifeSmarts Louisiana Competition today. The competition is a free, consumer education quiz bowl that tests students in grades 6-12 on five topics: personal finances, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities. The competition aims to help prepare young adults for life after high school.
Hiring spree: U.S. employers went on a hiring binge in February, adding 313,000 jobs, the most in any month since July 2016, and drawing hundreds of thousands of people into the job market. At the same time, average wages rose 2.6% over the past 12 months, a slowdown from January’s accelerated pace, which had spooked investors because it raised fears of high inflation. An influx of new job seekers in February kept the unemployment rate unchanged at a low 4.1%. Read more.
The fun’s over: Toys R Us Inc. is preparing to liquidate its bankrupt U.S. operation after failing to find a buyer or reach a deal with lenders to restructure its debt, Bloomberg reports. The situation is fluid, but a shutdown of the U.S. division has become increasingly likely in recent days. Hopes are fading that a buyer will emerge to keep some of the business operating, or that lenders will agree on terms of a debt restructuring. Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy in September and the chain announced in January that it would close 182 stores. Read more.
