Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Oct. 2

02:24 PM EDT, 10/02/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The September employment report was soft overall, with payrolls growth weaker than expected, the unemployment rate up, and hourly earnings growth slower. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 29,000 in September after a 133,000 gain in August and a 10,000 decline in July, both revised lower from their previous estimates. Private payrolls fell by 46,000, below expectations and following an 89,000 gain in July. Health care and social assistance payrolls rose by 23,000 in September while leisure and hospitality payrolls rose by 10,000. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from 4.1% in August after rounding, with the details showing an expanded labor force with gains in both household employment and unemployment. Average hourly earnings were rose by 0.1% in September, slower than a 0.3% increase in August, slowing the year-over-year rate to 3.0% from 3.1%. Factory new orders rose by 0.1% in August with transportation orders down 0.7% and the remaining categories combining for a 0.3% gain. Durable goods orders were revised down to a 0.1% decline from the flat reading in the advance estimate, while nondurable goods new orders rose by 0.3%. Factory shipments were flat and factory inventories rose by 0.5%. When combined with already-published advance estimates for retail and wholesale inventories, business inventories are on pace for a 0.5% gain in the month. The Q3 GDPnow estimate from the St. Louis Fed is for a 2.72% gain, down from a 3.24% increase in the previous estimate.