US stock indices closed lower on Thursday after the Financial Times reported that OpenAI's revenue was sharply below figures previously published by other outlets. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% and the Nasdaq slipped 1.4%, while the Dow closed 52 points higher. The report cited documents indicating annualized revenue of $50 billion rather than the $70 billion previously estimated. This reignited concerns over profitability for LLM developers and the sustainability of their soaring investments in AI infrastructure, which have supported both the stock market and US GDP growth this year. Chipmakers posted sharp losses, with Nvidia down 2.9%, Broadcom shedding 4.6% and Micron losing 4.8%. Hyperscalers also traded lower, with Alphabet falling 0.7%, Microsoft down 1.3% and Oracle tumbling 5.8%. Meanwhile, energy prices were volatile, with oil rebounding as Iran ramped up attacks on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz and a hurricane threatened US offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico.

The US 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.4% as of October 8th, 2026, rising further above 7% to reach its highest level since November 2023 and up from 7.28% in the previous week. This marks the seventh consecutive week with rate increases, as an intensifying selloff in the bond market amid expectations of higher-for-longer interest rates has kept 10-Year Treasury yields at their highest level in decades. Mortgage rates tend to closely track these these sovereign yields, pushing borrowing costs higher for homebuyers. A year ago, the the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.3%. Meanwhile, the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.73%, its highest level since May 2024, up from 6.6% last week.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits fell by 2,000 to 197,000 in the week ending October 3, 2026, coming in below market expectations of 200,000 and marking the lowest initial claim count since the 60-year low of 189,000 in mid-July. Continuing claims, a gauge of ongoing unemployment in the US, rose by 17,000 to 1,716,000, remaining relatively close to the more-than-three-year low touched in the previous week. The data extended a period of resilience in the US labor market as the Federal Reserve continues to cite full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which remain in the spotlight due to the administration's push to shrink the public sector, rose by 26 to 395, remaining well below historical levels.

ECB policymakers saw inflation risks skewed to the upside when they delivered their first rate hike since 2023 at the September meeting, but stressed the importance of not signaling any further policy moves and keeping all options open, according to the meeting accounts released Thursday. Officials warned that eurozone inflation could come in higher than projected, but stressed the importance of avoiding guidance on the future interest-rate path given the high uncertainty surrounding the inflation outlook and range of possible scenarios due to the ongoing fighting between the US and Iran, as well as Russia’s war in Ukraine. The ECB also noted that while the policy response should remain proportionate, the 2.50% deposit rate remained within staff estimates of the neutral range.

Mexico’s annual inflation rate rose to 3.45% in September 2026, the highest level since May, up from 3.26% in August. The reading was broadly in line with market expectations but moved further above Banxico’s 3% target. Energy inflation accelerated sharply to 1.48% from 0.81%, while price growth also increased for transportation (3.51% vs. 3.43%) and housing and utilities (3.33% vs. 3.06%). Food inflation rose to 2.55% from 1.49%, its highest level since May, adding further upward pressure. In contrast, inflation for restaurants and hotels slowed to 6.19% from 6.27%. Core inflation also eased further to 3.75% from 3.88%. From the previous month, consumer prices rose 0.42%, accelerating from a 0.20% increase in August.

Germany’s exports fell 0.8% month-on-month to €137.6 billion in August 2026, following a downwardly revised 0.5% drop in the previous month and against market expectations for a 0.8% increase. This marked the second consecutive monthly decline in exports, driven by lower shipments to EU member states (-0.6% to €77.5 billion), particularly to non-euro area countries (-3.5% to €23.2 billion), while exports to the euro area increased (0.8% to €54.3 billion). Shipments to third countries also dropped (-1.1% to €60.0 billion), primarily due to weaker demand from the US (-6.3%), which offset increases in exports to China (4.7%) and the UK (16.7%). On a yearly basis, Germany’s exports grew 6.2% in August. For the January-August period, the country's exports were 4.4% higher than in the same period a year ago, totaling €1,092.7 billion.