Print media companies are moving more and more content online. And shedding staff in the process. Lynn Carpenter says investors should stay clear of newspaper stocks.

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In the currency market, the dollar erased early losses and firmed against the euro for the second straight day. Late Thursday, the euro was trading at $1.5432 vs. $1.5459 on Wednesday.

In the currency market, the dollar continued to move higher against the euro. Late Friday, the euro was trading at $1.5424 vs. $1.5457 on Thursday.

US employers slashed 80,000 jobs in March — the biggest monthly job decline in five years.

From Reuters:

The Labor Department revised the first two months of the year’s job losses to a total of 152,000 from a previous estimate of 85,000. The March unemployment rate jumped to 5.1 percent from 4.8 percent, the highest since a matching rate in September 2005.

The March job report was bleaker than expected. Economists polled ahead of the report forecast a decline of 60,000 in non-farm payrolls and a rise in the unemployment rate to 5 percent.

The March job report is expected to bring grim tidings about the health of the US economy.

The consensus on Wall Street is for nonfarm payrolls in March to fall by roughly 60,000 jobs. This will raise the unemployment rate from 4.8% to 5%.

Already, the private sector has shed jobs for four consecutive months, led by losses in manufacturing and construction.