By Robert Hughes
Payrolls in the United States rose by 263,000 in April, solidly beating an expected gain of 185,000. The healthy gain follows a solid 189,000 increase in March. Two strong monthly gains following the disappointing 56,000 increase in February shows the labor market remains healthy and will likely ease fears of recession. The three-month average gain stands at 169,000, well below the average over the past year of 218,000 but still a good result. The 12-month average had been rising after hitting a recent low of 168,000 in September 2017, but the weak