Main Street Independent

TAG  ·  Economy

economy

Weekly jobless claims rise to 206,000 as layoffs stay near historic lows

Illustration accompanying article: Weekly jobless claims rise to 206,000 as layoffs stay near historic lows
  • The Labor Department reported Thursday that weekly unemployment claims rose to 206,000, up from a revised 204,000 the prior week.
  • The four-week average of claims rose modestly to 207,250.
  • Filings have stayed within a historically low range of 200,000 to 230,000 a week for the past year.
  • The official unemployment rate stands at 4.1%, and economists describe the current labor market as "no-hire, no-fire."
 2026-09-03 · 3 MIN READ

Big Tech borrowing and Iran tensions drive global bond rout

Illustration accompanying article: Big Tech borrowing and Iran tensions drive global bond rout
  • BBC News Economics Editor Faisal Islam attributes the global bond rout to overlapping pressures including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, renewed US-Iran hostilities and a surge in debt issuance by Big Tech companies funding AI infrastructure.
  • US "hyperscalers" including Google, Amazon and Meta have issued more than $219bn (£162bn) of debt so far in 2026, nearly a third of it in currencies other than the dollar, according to Islam's analysis.
  • Japan's government bond yields have reached 30-year highs as its central bank has lifted interest rates from zero to combat rising inflation, with Japan remaining the largest single lender to the US government.
  • The UK faces long-term borrowing costs at their highest since 1998, with economists citing political instability and doubts about the credibility of government borrowing plans.
 2026-09-02 · 3 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: US 10-year Treasury yield hits 4.79% amid renewed Middle East strikes