October 2, 2026
A report released by the Commerce Department on Friday showed a slight uptick in new orders for U.S. manufactured goods in August. The Commerce Department said factory orders rose by 0.1% in August after climbing by 0.8% in July. The uptick in factory orders came as orders for non-durable goods rose by 0.3% in August following a 0.7% increase in July.
Meanwhile, the report said orders for durable goods edged down by 0.1% in August compared to the previously reported unchanged reading. Durable goods orders climbed by 0.9% in July. The Commerce Department also said shipments of manufactured goods were virtually unchanged in August, while inventories of manufactured goods rose by 0.5%. With inventories climbing and shipments flat, the inventories-to-shipments ratio ticked up from 1.47 in July to 1.48 in August. 10/02/2026 - 10:16:00 (RTTNews)
The Labor Department released a closely watched report on Friday showing employment in the U.S. had increased in September. The report said non-farm payroll employment rose by 29,000 jobs in September after jumping by 133,000 jobs in August. The job growth came as the Labor Department said employment changed slightly in all major industries. Healthcare employment continued to trend higher but at a slower pace than the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months.
The report also said the unemployment rate crept up from 4.1% in August to 4.2% in September. The unexpected uptick in the unemployment rate came as the labor force grew by 485,000 people, outpacing the 406,000-person surge in the household survey measure of employment. The Labor Department also said average hourly employee earnings edged up by $0.05 or 0.1% to $37.81. The annual rate of growth in average hourly employee earnings slowed to 3.0% in September from 3.1% in August. 10/02/2026 - 09:49:00 (RTTNews)
Euro traded at 1.1260 against USD at 9:00 AM PST
Eurozone inflation accelerated to a three-year high in September on energy prices. Inflation rose to 3.8% in September, marking it the highest since September 2023, from 3.2% in August. Excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, core inflation rose marginally from 2.4% to 2.5%. Monthly, consumer prices increased 0.6% after a 0.4% increase in August.
Among components of the harmonized index of consumer prices, energy prices showed the sharpest annual growth of 18.8%. The increase in food, alcohol and tobacco prices advanced from 1.1% to 1.4%. Likewise, non-energy industrial goods prices gained 1.1%, following August's 1.2% increase. Services’ inflation rose from 3.0% in the previous month to 3.2%. 10/02/2026 - 07:08:00 (RTTNews)
Italy's retail sales increased unexpectedly in August after falling in the previous two months. Sales rose 0.3% monthly in August, following a 0.4% decrease in July. Food product sales grew 0.8% monthly in August. Meanwhile, non-food product sales remained flat, and this marked the end of two consecutive months of declines in the sector.
Regarding non-food items, the largest increase was seen in IT, telecommunications, and telephone equipment, which advanced 6.7%. Conversely, footwear, leather goods, and travel goods recorded the most significant decline of 4.1%. Yearly, retail sales growth moderated from 1.0% to 0.5%. 10/02/2026 - 05:02:00 (RTTNews)
Spain's unemployment increased sharply in September, but the overall level was the lowest for the month since 2007. The number of unemployed increased by 23,587 from the previous month, or 1.0% in September. However, registered unemployment totaled 2.379 million, which was the lowest figure for the month of September since 2007. On a yearly basis, unemployment decreased by 42,160 or 1.74%.
Registered unemployment decreased in construction by 1,726. In industry, unemployment was virtually unchanged, with 39 more unemployed people. Unemployment increased in the services sector by 6,707 and by 601 in the agriculture sector. Unemployment among young people aged below 25 increased by 21,411 in September compared to the previous month, bringing the total to 189,141. 10/02/2026 - 04:05:00 (RTTNews)
Hong Kong's retail sales growth improved for the first time in six months in August. The value of retail sales rose 5.6% year-on-year in August, faster than the 4.5% increase in July. Sales have been rising since May 2025. Sales of consumer durables logged a double-digit growth of 14.0% annually in August, and demand for jewelry, watches, clocks, and valuable gifts was 11.9% higher. Supermarket sales grew 2.1%, and there was a 1.9% increase in the sale of food, alcoholic drinks, and tobacco, excluding the same in supermarkets. On the other hand, sales at department stores were 2.6% lower, and fuel sales plunged 11.7%. Online retail sales, which account for 8.7% of the total value of retail sales, advanced 9.9% compared with August 2025. The growth in volume of retail sales improved from 2.4% to 2.9%. 10/02/2026 - 08:02:00 (RTTNews)
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