October 1, 2026
A day ahead of the release of its more closely watched monthly jobs report, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits edged slightly lower in the week ending on September 26th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims slipped to 197,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's level of 198,000. The slight decrease pulled jobless claims down to their lowest level since hitting a multi-decade low of 189,000 in the week ending on July 18th.
The report said the less volatile four-week moving average also dipped to 200,000, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's average of 202,500. Continuing claims, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment benefits, also fell by 11,000 to 1.701 million in the week ending on September 19th. The four-week moving average of continuing claims also dropped to 1,723,750, a decrease of 18,500 from the previous week's average of 1,742,250. On Friday, the Labor Department is scheduled to release its more closely watched monthly employment report for September. 10/01/2026 - 09:23:00 (RTTNews)
Manufacturing activity in the U.S. expanded for the ninth consecutive month in September. The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) edged down from 54.6 in August to 54.5 in September, but a reading above 50 still indicates growth. The slight decrease in the headline index partly reflected a slowdown in the pace of production growth, as the production index dipped from 58.3 in August to 56.7 in September.
The inventories index also fell from 50.6 in August to 48.6 in September, while the supplier deliveries index edged down from 59.3 in August to 59.0 in September. Meanwhile, the new orders index climbed from 53.7 in August to 55.3 in September, and the employment index rose from 51.2 in August to 52.7 in September. The prices index jumped from 71.1 in August to 77.9 in September, indicating a notable acceleration in the pace of price growth. 10/01/2026 - 10:55:00 (RTTNews)
Euro traded at 1.1231 against USD at 9:00 AM PST
The euro area unemployment rate remained unchanged in August. The jobless rate came in at 6.4% in August, the same as in July. In the same period last year, the rate was 6.3%. The number of unemployed increased by 26,000 from July to 11.357 million. Compared to last year, unemployment rose by 267,000. There were 2.391 million young unemployed persons in August, down 9,000 from July. The youth unemployment rate dropped from 15.1% in July to 15.0%. EU unemployment rate also remained stable in August at 6.1%, up from 6.0% in the last year. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate rose from 15.3% to 15.4%. 10/01/2026 - 06:31:00 (RTTNews)
Italy's unemployment rate increased in August to the highest level in more than a year. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose to 6.2% in August from July's stable rate of 6.0%. Moreover, this was the highest unemployment rate since May 2025. In the corresponding month last year, the unemployment rate was 5.7%. The number of unemployed individuals rose by 48,000 from July, reaching 1.591 million in August. The employment rate dropped slightly from 63.1% to 63.0%. 10/01/2026 - 06:31:00 (RTTNews)
British Pound traded at 1.3187 against USD at 9:00 AM PST
The United Kingdom manufacturing activity continued its upturn in September as production, new orders and employment increased from August. The final manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose from 51.7 in August to 51.9 in September. The flash score was 52.0. The PMI signaled expansion in each of the past eleven months.
Manufacturing production growth slowed slightly, easing to the weakest point in the current six-month expansion sequence. Nonetheless, companies scaled up output in response to rising order intakes, with growth in orders from both domestic and export markets.
Manufacturing employment rose for the sixth straight month in September, with job creation staying close to the two-year high posted in August. Outstanding business expanded for the second time in three months. The survey showed that stocks of finished goods and purchases both declined in September. Input price inflation accelerated for the first time in four months. In response, manufacturers raised their selling prices.
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