>> couldn't hear the audio. can you rerack? thank you. >> economists say right now, the tight job market isn't stopping employers from keeping a list.

>> they recovered more. we think that will be the one to watc watch. >> they have no reason for a setback to upset the fed's plan for maybe two more rate hikes this year. and that's the nightly business report in washington. >> the job that was still today, supreme court justice the senate confirmed judge neil gorsuch to the high court by a vote of 54 to 45. gorsuch could have a decisive effect on several business and financial cases including one involving the debt collectors and another we are lidge just institutions and government. now to syria, where last night's lightning strikely u.s. cruise missiles against a syrian airbase sent shock waves around the world from damascus, and tehran, presumably pyongyang. apparently, not so much to wall street. >> reporter: the u.s. government

says it launched 59 to himahawk missiles last night from two u.s. warships in the eastern mediterranean. the pentagon released this video. the target of the missiles, an airfield in western syria. the pentagon says was used to conduct a chemical weapons test earlier this week in the syrian civil war. >> that came around the world from more than 100 people. >> syria used to ban chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chemical weapons convention and ignored your defenses of the u.n. security council. >> russia which supports bashar al-assad, calls for an emergency meeting of the u.s. security council and condemned the attacks. the u.n. ambassador to the u.n. nikki haley says the u.s. is ready to do even more and slammed russia. >> it could be that russia is

knowingly allowing chemical weapons to remain in syria. it could be that russia has been a confidante in its efforts to remove the chemical weapons. or it could be that the assad regime is playing the russians for fools. >> reporter: saex rex tillerson is scheduled to travel to issue next week. for "nightly business report," i'm michelle russo cabrera. >> president trump met for the first time with china's president xi jinping. what the two world's largest economies covered in their discussion? we report from palm beach. >> reporter: >> reporter: the u.s. says a joint summit was direct, planned and that secretary rex tillerson and mnuchen, who nations agreed

if four parts, diplomacy, economy, cyber security and culture. additionally, they're pursuing 100-day talks on trade. they are going to meet with commerce secretary ross fights a growing report between the two countries t. news is coming out of the united states thursday while they launched 59 airstrikes in response to a chemical attack there. assisting the president, a unique military covering a secure location at trump's mar-a lago resort. president trump says the meeting was productive. >> i think we have made tremendous progress in our meeting with china. my representatives have been meeting one-on-one with his counterparts from china and it's i think truly a representation

will be made to make official progress. >> reporter: the airstrikes while the two world leaders dine together a. white house spokesman says trump informed china's president before the missiles made impact. >> the message at mar-a lago, we don't want to embarrass president xi. we want to save face. there is no doubt if president trump takes decisive action in syria as he did, he can take decisive action in north korea. >> that sends a message to asia and china as well. >> reporter: the two leaders appeared congenial, few in china say they show a strike of force and also made in haste, referencing criticism of the previous administration consideration of an attack. the administration stresses this is the beginning of what it calls a constructive die lock. president xi extended his invitation for president trump to make a estimate. for "nightly business report," homebase, florida. let's discuss the market's

reaction or lack of it to the headlines that dominated the narrative today, jobs, geopolitics and the future of the u.s.-china relationship him joining us now is the senior economist and director of fund strategies at fss investments. laura, welcome. good to have you with us. this is one of the days we said earlier in the broadcast, it could have gone either way big time. but it went neither. how do you explain the lack of reaction? >> well, you know, i think when you think about that, there clearly was a reaction. some of the classic save haven currencies, but the stockmarket just needs to be very complacent for lack of a better word. we shucked off investment since the start, it would have been seen as market negative. every piece of business is seen as a future rally and then news that is somewhat of a downsize surprise is treated with a shrug. so i think they've continued, low level volatility and this really thorough uncertainty

fatigue is something that concerns you. >> yes, so that complacency, did it encourage you or worry you? >> i mean, i think we -- it's interesting, the last two years have really seen horrendous localized equity issues in carolina. issue after issue has sort of been shrugged off. so when i look at markets, i really see that this lack of ability to really see risk in the world as more balance. we have a two-week positive perception in the customer segment, in the segment, but the actual data haven't been as strong. it hasn't followed out. markets keep going, they go further and further out in the way. >> do you think apart from the days which were meaningful in their own right, do you think that the fundamentals of corporate profits of the economy are strong enough to justify

prices where they are and keep them growing? >> you know, that's a real concern. over the long term, corporate profits really follow growth. when we look at the u.s. economy, we see that it's fine. it's relatively healthy. it's proven along, around 2% t. problem is, corporate profits are also just sort of proven along. they really need a black line in 2012, equity markets have been, they have kept right on going. i don't know which way it will correct. but it makes me concerned the market versus such a one-sided view of the world. >> is it time then for me to play defense or offense? take advantage of pullbacks? >> you know, when i look out i am looking at some of the geopolitical risks, some of the rhetoric we've got on out of the government that's talking about changing trade agreements, one thing that concerns me is that the s&p 500 has a tremendous amount of international exposure.

i'm saying investments are a little closer to home, investing in companies that primarily get their growth and their revenues from the u.s. that's where i see the most able opportunity right now. >> lara, thank you very much. have a great weekend. still ahead, a labor market bright stock but in the sky. >> reporter: i'm in dallas, as more people take to the skies, carriers are hiring. we'll have more tonight on "nightly business report." . >> the jobs report was a whit of a let down. if you look beyond the headline numbers that we mentioned before, there are actually pockets of real growth in the

labor market. one industry, in particular, that expected hiring to take off. kate rogers reports on where the jobs are today from dallas, tex texas. >> reporter: the airline industry points to 700,000 people in the u.s. alone and experts expect a need for man power to grow with the number of air travelers double beingty year 2035. >> based on our trends, the next two years we will have more hiroshima in the airline industry. and that's important. because the more we hire, the more actual jobs we create and have a ripple effect throughout the economy. >> reporter: the industry is hoping that the new white house administration will help boost growth with dereg lakes, lower taxes and modernization of air traffic control systems. >> they will show regulations that don't make sense and eliminated those. those savings, those efficiencies, will make us better able to to continually

invest in our ploy years and our product. >> reporter: carriers like southwest are expanding every part of new business demands. the airline is recruiting some 4,000 workers for 26s this year, like this 20-year-old ramp agent. >> i am responsible for making sure the luggage gets transported to the right destination. i am responsible to make sure it's turned on time and responsible for the crew around me. >> reporter: the job is competitive and southwest is hiring about 2.5% of applicants for ground positions in 2017. >> we are picky. we hire for attitude and train for skill. we are working for looking for employees with the southwest way. what does that mean? having a warrior spirit, a desire to work hard and have a sense of urgency, having a heart and fun loving attitude. >> reporter: at southwest, salaries start at around $13 an hour, but long-term employees

can make up to $30 an hour, other parts of the airline has free travel for workers and families, 4012ks with matches and profit sharing. partners include long days spent outdoors rain or shine. for other ground workers for a newly hired customer service agent, it means dealing with travelers at their very best and worse. >> just remembering not to take it personally. it can be challenging. you never assume the reason for someone's travel is the same. >> reporter: for "nightly business report," i'm kate rogers, dallas. >> as we reported earlier in the program the retail industry by contrast is shedding jobs as consumers change their shopping habits, causing major brands to close up shops. still certain stores have managed to avoid the pain while others are barely hanging on. we have more on the so-called retail wrap. >> reporter: it's a tough time to be retail, but perhaps a tougher time to work for one.

22,000 retail jobs at general merchandise stores were lost in march. 13,000 positions cut at department stores and 6,000. more at clothing and accessory stores. many of the job losses were the direct result of store closure. so far this year, retailers plan to close almost 2900 stores, more than double from the same point last year and it's likely not over yet. critics estimate nearly 8700 store closures could be anouced by the end of this year. that's nowhere more than the great recession. some will be transferred to nearby locations staying opened. many of the workers are hitting the unemployment line. >> it's not yet a querky job, which is a very important part of retail. but retail is about technology. it's about marketing. it's about executives. >> the number of store closings isn't a surprise as the ever more connecting consumer shifts from in stores to online and

buys less stuff. >> the seeds of this were sewn five years ago, probably the beginning of the decade. that's when amazon gained more momentum. many retailers were caught off guard. >> reporter: the sector which employs 25% of the jobs in this country could see this problem as an even bigger opportunity. >> they have to transform themselves, look in malls and interesting places like dubai where you have skating rinks or ski slopes, what are you going to do to make it exciting and different? >> now it remains to be seen whether industry that didn't quite recognize amazon posts to quickly reshape itself for what might be coming next. for "nightly business report," i'm courtney reagan. >> a standout in the retail space is where we gin tonight in market focus. healthy advisory is lifting its reign on wal-mart to outperform the company is picking up more

market share and experiencing stronger sales growth over the next two years t. brokerage firm citing wal-mart e-commerce. it's up at 7290. shares of enterprise software company octa in the first market debut today, opening on the nasdaq above $2003 a share and that's what's higher than the company's initial public offering price of just $17 a share. shares of the day are 38% at 2351. household products maker wd40 saw it's shares sliding away yesterday. wd reporting the profit and revenue estimates, it is cutting its year sales outlook as well. shares to the downside falling more than 4.5% to 10195. now tonight, one of which is a retailer despite the recent issues.

the last time he was on was more than a year ago. he recommended stocks that had been mixed as you see right there. he is the senior portfolio manager at gradient vermonts. michael, gods to have with us. >> thank you for having me back. >> thank you for having you back. let's talk first about your first pick, which i find curious with reasoning behind it. >> that is a mall operator or r reit, simon properties, what do they have that so many others in this business don't? >> well the thing is, is they own the market and are involved in previous outlets, retail outlets, where retails are trying to get into. so yeah we have a retail, i don't think it's a retail rep, but a lot of people are calling for that. we have a retail stock cycle right now. but that doesn't mean the retails aren't paying their rent to the mall owners. simon's property stock has gotten crushed. it has gone from 250 down to

$170 right now. i think they're going to consistently continue to grow those earnings above 5 or 6%. it has a 4, dividend yield there. i think it's a good way to earn about 10, upon an annualized basis in a very conservative stock. so it's not a part of this retail rep, because they're not a store. they don't sell stores. they're an office space that houses retail stores there. and if one store leaves, say pennies or a restaurant or a movie theater is more than happy to take that space and move in and pay rent. probably a little more rent than j.c. penny. >> pretty much every one of us would like a 10% return. let's move on to slumber jay, why do you like it? >> well, as we all know, oil has recovered dramatically from below 30 over a year ago to today it's sitting over 50. we think as we exit 2017 that oil will probably be closer to 60 more than the $50 range.

i think a great way to play that is you have seen the ep or exploration of companies ramally a lot already. you see drilling rigs increase a lot from low levels. and now i think the next cycle is going to be the people like slumberge who serve to operators. finally granite construction. >> it's a great play. >> you ought to look for a stock that has potentially a ten, 15-year hein it. they're one of the largest construction companies in the country. they make roads and piers and things like that. we have an infrastructure bill that's going to come to us, california today just passed a big construction bill. it's a tailwind for this company. i think it's a long tail play. it's a great point right now. >> michael, thanks, have a great weekend. bayer with premium investments. still one man's help

customers quench their thirst turns into a bright idea and a very tidy business. back in the late 1990s, we weren't yet shopping for every little niche item we could think of on the internet. that's why one buffalo entrepreneur with suds got the bright idea to sell hard-to-find tools on the world wide web. ♪. >> are you ready for a cold one? how about an inhome bar setup? david rivers sells everything but the booze. >> bars, sinks, ice makers,

anything on the bar top, jitters, shakers, bar caddie. >> reporter: his company keg works is an online one-stop shop for bar supplies. it started in the late 1990s, when e-commerce was barely a thing. craft beer were in the range. a beer salesmen by trade would often ask for parts for inhome draft beer systems could be had, usually using a refrigerator and a check. >> the kegerator, it's 2g. >> whatever the name, a good relevant lator is key the valve and gauge system used to maintain pressure to keep peer fresh. rivers knew a wholesaler and asked if he could take orders on the internet. fax them over and have the wholesaler ship the equipment out. >> you have a couple catalogues, have a nice day. >> reporter: within two years, rivers had so many orders for

kegaratter kits and a wholesaleer asked him to keep his inventory and ship it out, he did, first out of a garage and in downtown buffalo in the early 2000s. >> at that time there were only 250 people living in the core of downtown. >> reporter: the downtown renaissance is bringing in restaurants and bars n. 2005, rivers hired a ceo,tom mcmanus to help grow the business. together their they're helping restaurant owners. >> the core of our draft system, it allows us to test pressures for each beer. >> reporter: and bars need foot rails, right? he quickly overwhelmed another supplier, so rivers began buying his own metal tubing and bravakas, keg works can bend the rails and powder coat them, paint them, basically. copper, anyone? >> it's making it available to people that normally have a hard

time finding them. >> reporter: a six-foot rail kit can be had for less than $200 bucks. kits start with items that now are housed in the buffalo suburbs, from made on to their own private labels to an older style -- it hasn't been made for years. >> and unique beverage, forth carolina made cherry soda, popular down south, hard to find elsewhere. >> i got a phone call from a gentleman who was local, who said we couldn't believe we had it. >> a bar in the office? you bet, how about this bottle cap wall? two-and-a-half months to build out, using 50 to 60,000 bottle caps, they estimate 2017 revenues between 12 and $13 million and a guy who says he left college, in part, because a roommate helped solve the kegaratter can thank the kegarater for never having to go back. >> getting into this, i never

thought -- i am not the smartestfy in the world, there are a lot of smarter people doing what they do. >> keg works said it shipped out more than 285,000 discreet items in 2016 and rivers says his company might be the world's largest supplier of bar foot rails. keg works sold nearly 10 miles worth last year alone. that's the "nightly business report" for tonight. i'm tyler mathieson, have a great weekend, everybody. we will see you next week. >> this is "bbc world news

america." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, and aruba tourism authority. >> planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think. you can find it here in aruba. families, couples, and friends can all find their escape on the island with warmsu