a modicum of momentum
米国の景気が少し上向きで推移しているようです。a modicum of momentumは「わずかばかりの勢い」、つまり「（今の現在）上向きである」ということです。（Shou-VR*）
Economy Added 203,000 Jobs in November, as Unemployment Falls to 5-Year Low
The economy added 203,000 jobs in November, a bit better than expected, as the unemployment rate fell to 7 percent, the lowest in five years.
While the return of hundreds of thousands of federal employees following October’s government shutdown may have exaggerated the move in the unemployment rate for November, the continuing payroll gains suggest the economy has picked up at least a modicum of momentum very recently.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg before the Labor Department announcement had expected an increase of 185,000 jobs, with the unemployment rate falling by 0.1 percentage point to 7.2 percent.
