Good morning, you're listening to Markets Desk.
Jobless claims came in at one hundred eighty-nine thousand last week, well below expectations and the lowest reading in months. That's a tight labor market signaling to the Fed that the economy isn't cooling as fast as some hoped. All eyes now shift to Friday's monthly payrolls report, which will carry real weight for rate expectations heading into year-end.
Shifting to materials and supply chain risk, China's rare-earth export control pause expires November tenth, and markets are watching closely. Companies like MP Materials and USA Rare Earth sit at the center of that pressure. If Beijing tightens the spigot again, downstream industries from defense to electric vehicles face real input cost exposure, and those stocks could move sharply in either direction.
And on the consumer side, Nike continues its difficult stretch. The CEO has acknowledged a blind spot as Jordan and Dunk franchise sales shrink, and the stock has shed nearly forty-five percent of its value in two thousand twenty-six. More layoffs are planned heading into two thousand twenty-seven, and the brand's removal from the S&P one hundred after eighteen years signals just how serious this reset has become.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
