Every weekend, I recap \u201cnews you can use\u201d from the week \u2014 a handful of quotes from major (and often expensive) financial news sources \u2014 so you can stay up to date on the news that affects your money without spending a dime and in less than a minute.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an overview of what happened this week.<\/p>\n
Here Are the Key Takeaways From the US Jobs Report for June<\/a> (July 2, 2026, Bloomberg):<\/p>\n Hiring slowed sharply in June even as the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%. Nonfarm payrolls increased 57,000 and data for the previous two months were revised lower by a net 74,000.<\/p>\n Investors scaled back bets on a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase this year.<\/p>\n Businesses added 98,000 jobs in June, ADP says. Labor market is on the mend, but it\u2019s still not great.<\/a> (July 1, MarketWatch):<\/p>\n ADP is a lead act of sorts for the official U.S. employment report due Thursday \u2014 a day early this month because of the July 4 holiday. Economists predict a 115,000 increase in new jobs in June based on information collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n Michael Burry Cites \u2018Beginning of the End\u2019 With New AI Short Bets<\/a> (July 1, Wall Street Journal):<\/p>\n Tesla, Caterpillar, semiconductor manufacturer Applied Materials and an ETF tracking chip makers are among the latest bearish bets announced by Burry, one of the heroes of Michael Lewis\u2019s financial-crisis saga, \u201cThe Big Short.\u201d <\/p>\n Known for his idiosyncratic personality, Burry has gained a huge following online for correctly betting against the U.S. housing market during the 2008-09 financial crisis.<\/p>\n Small-cap stocks enjoy their best first half in 35 years. Here\u2019s what\u2019s driving it<\/a> (June 30, CNBC):<\/p>\n The Russell 2000 Index has surged more than 21% this year, putting the benchmark on track for its best first-half performance since 1991.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s both a valuation catch-up story and a fundamental story,\u201d said Amy Zhang, portfolio manager at Alger. \u201cThe valuation gap was so wide that a truck can drive through it. At the same time, fundamentals are improving in small-caps and I think that\u2019s why it\u2019s causing the broadening trade.\u201d<\/p>\n US Consumer Confidence Inches Up, Helped by Lower Gas Prices<\/a> (June 30, Bloomberg):<\/p>\n The Conference Board\u2019s gauge of confidence increased 0.6 point to 91.2 after a downward revision to the prior month, data released Tuesday showed.<\/p>\n The report shows that cheaper gas resulting from a truce in the Middle East helped assuage some of the anxiety Americans have expressed about the economy in recent months. However, views of job opportunities deteriorated and consumers expect little improvement in the coming months.<\/p>\n