BLS released its first September US employment report at 8:30 ET on October 2: 29,000 additional nonfarm payroll jobs, 4.2% unemployment, and average hourly earnings up about 0.1% month on month and 3.0% year on year. Job creation was weak, the unemployment rate was described as little changed, and wages were still rising. These September survey figures remain subject to revision.
At the New York close, SPY gained about 0.7%, QQQ 1.0%, and semiconductor ETF SMH 2.1%. Long-Treasury ETF TLT fell about 0.3% and gold ETF GLD 0.7%. SMH had the largest gain among these equity ETFs. Yahoo Finance’s dollar-index daily record edged down from 102.10 to 101.93, yet gold finished lower. Weak job creation did not accompany a joint rise in stocks, bonds, and gold; the first release and these closes leave the easing path unsettled.
Historical backfill prepared on October 4, 2026. The observation cutoff is the article date, with US stock and ETF prices through the 2026-10-02 New York close. Sources: BLS September employment first release, October 2; Yahoo Finance SPY, QQQ, SMH, TLT, GLD, dollar index. Stock and ETF price changes use October 1 closes; employment and wages use this first release, not subsequent revisions. GLD is a gold ETF proxy, TLT a long-Treasury ETF, and QQQ, SMH and SPY are equity ETFs. October 2 Treasury yields and metal-futures quotes are not included; no holiday A-share prices are invented. Dollar-index figures use Yahoo Finance DX-Y.NYB daily records; the provider’s daily cutoff has not been reconstructed, so they are not treated as synchronous with regular stock and ETF closes. Personal research and opinion for information only; not investment advice.