HIRING UP IN JUNE, BUT RECOVERY MAY BE STUMBLING

The United States’ economic recovery may be stumbling as a surge of new coronavirus infections prompts states to delay and in some cases reverse plans to let stores reopen and activities resume.

High-frequency data assembled by Federal Reserve officials, economists, cellphone tracking companies, and employee time management firms suggests activity slowed in recent days, clouding a strong U.S. employment report that may prove to have been driven by an exuberant start to the month as states reopened.

Some of those reopening plans have now been put on hold and new restrictions placed on the bars, restaurants and other hospitality industry companies that helped the U.S. economy add 4.8 million jobs in June. It was the second straight month of record employment growth reported by the Labor Department.