Bermudian footballers took centre stage across the English football pyramid, highlighted by Emirates FA Cup third-round qualifying drama and key contributions up and down the non-league tiers.
The headline act belonged to midfielder Milan Butterfield and Halesowen Town, who produced a miraculous escape away to Stafford Rangers at the Stan Robinson Stadium. Facing an impending FA Cup exit, the Yeltz struck seven minutes into stoppage time to grab a dramatic 1-1 draw and force a replay at The Grove on Tuesday night.
Willie Clemons enjoyed outright celebration as Leiston FC secured their passage to the fourth qualifying round with an emphatic 3-1 victory on the road against Coventry United at the Flannery Stadium.
Harborough Town also booked their place in the hat with a thrilling 3-2 victory over National League South side St Albans City, with Bermudian youngster Jutorre Burgess an unused substitute on the bench.
In league action, veteran Bermuda international Reggie Lambe marked his presence in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division, firing Ipswich Wanderers ahead in the 14th minute at the GBS Stadium before visiting Harleston Town battled back to share the spoils in a 2-2 draw.
Elsewhere, forward Ayleal Dill and Southwell City were held to a goalless stalemate at home to Sandiacre Town in the United Counties League, while Daizhari Tucker guided Worcester Raiders from the touchline to a spirited 2-2 draw on the road against Tiverton Town in Devon.
The National Sports Centre said walkers, joggers and all other recreational users will not have access to the 600m track, outdoor gym and surrounding grassy areas during the closure
Full statement from the National Sports Centre:
The North Field and 600m walking track at the National Sports Centre will be closed from Monday 5 October 2026 to Tuesday 27 October 2026, as the north field flood lighting system is being replaced.
This work is scheduled to take place every day except Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, when the field will be open for the Athene Kickstart youth Football tournament. Walkers, joggers and all other recreational users will not have access to the 600m track, outdoor gym and surrounding grassy areas during that time.
The closure will continue on Wednesday 28 October to Thursday 19 November to account for the World Rugby Classic preparations, game days and clean-up.
This year’s event will feature Classic Canada, Classic Eagles, Argentina Legends, Italian Classic, France, Classic Canada, Classic Lions, who will each vie for crowning glory. There will also be a match featuring Bermuda mini-Rugby.
Craig Tyrrell, the NSC SVP Operations Manager, said: “We are always excited when hosting events like the World Rugby Classic, but this year is a little different, as we are first improving the lighting system on the north field, a project which will benefit all users in the future. We must ensure that we can complete the tasks safely and, unfortunately, that means restricting use for all recreational users until the work is complete. We do apologise for any inconvenience, but look forward to everyone returning after the capital works and Classic have ended.”
If one would like to use the facility during the closure, the South field 400m track is available at a nominal drop in fee, provided the field isn’t closed off for an exclusive booking. Schedules can be seen on our website: www.bermudanationalsportscentre.com and regular updates are posted on Instagram @nscbermuda.
À Gulfstream G100, the model of the aircraft which is currently missing
UPDATED 5:30pm, 3rd October
Skyport has confirmed that US air controllers have lost contact with an air ambulance, travelling from Bermuda to Boston, with six people on board.
WCVB in Boston reports that “the Federal Aviation Administration said it issued a search and rescue alert for the plane at 1:20 a.m…
“The FAA notified the U.S. Coast Guard that it lost contact with the plane, which is registered to Canadian-based Latitude Air Ambulance. The company confirmed that the missing plane is among its fleet.”
Skyport released a statement confirming that “a Canadian-registered air ambulance departed L.F. Wade International Airport for Boston at approximately 12:41 am on Saturday, October 3, 2026, with six souls on board, including four crew members and two passengers.”
The aircraft, operating under call sign HTT104, is a twin-jet Gulfstream G100 bearing the registration C-GRJP operated by Latitude Air Ambulance based out of Hamilton, Ontario.
According to flight telemetry data, it indicates the jet experienced a sudden, rapid descent—dropping more than 9,000 feet in approximately two minutes.
Its final transmission logged a descent rate exceeding 4,500 feet per minute before the signal cut off entirely.
Latitude employs over 100 personnel across its operations and base at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport.
According to flight aware logs, they lost contact with Boston Center just after 1:09 am.
Flight data showing the search effort underway in the waters off Nantuckett Island. Photo: FlightRadar24
Skyport added, “The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has advised that air traffic controllers subsequently lost contact with the aircraft off the coast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, and a search is currently underway.”
“Skyport has no further information to provide at this time.”
The nationalities of those on board have not yet been verified.
The Government of Bermuda said in a statement:
“The Government of Bermuda confirms that an air ambulance which departed Bermuda for Boston early this morning, carrying six people, has been reported missing after contact was lost with air traffic control.
The United States Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue operations off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The Government has been in contact with the families of those on board and remains in contact with the overseas authorities coordinating the search.
Premier David Burt said, “My thoughts are with everyone on board and their families during this deeply worrying time. We are praying that all six people will be found safe, and we thank the search and rescue crews for their continuing efforts.”
The Government asks that the privacy of the families be respected and will provide further updates as confirmed information becomes available.”
The air ambulance is registered to Canadian company Latitude.
Clarence Togeretz, Latitude’s Director of Flight Operations, told CBC News in Canada that the two pilots and two medical staff are Canadian, and had flown to Bermuda to collect a patient and their relative.
Mr Togeretz did not state the nationality of the passengers, but Bermuda Broadcasting understands the patient and their relative are Bermudian.
Mr Togeretz said, “We’re praying for a safe outcome”.
Yields, however, rose again, as the bond market resumed an ongoing selloff that has seen global yields rise to levels not seen in two decades
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 29, 2026. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
International News via Reuters:
Major stock indexes rose and the dollar fell on Friday as expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate increase later this month fell after softer-than-forecast US jobs data.
Yields, however, rose again, as the bond market resumed an ongoing selloff that has seen global yields rise to levels not seen in two decades.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 29,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department’s closely watched employment report showed, short of the expected gain of 90,000, according to economists polled by Reuters. Job growth for August was revised down to 133,000 from a previously reported 162,000 surge.
Bets on an October rate rise from the Fed, which last month increased rates for the first time since 2023, faded after the data. Traders were last pricing in a roughly 80% probability that rates would be unchanged at this month’s meeting compared with 74% before the data.
“It wasn’t as hot a labor market print as August,” said Joseph Purtell, senior vice president, portfolio manager and rates trader at Neuberger Berman. He still described the labor market as largely stable, however.
Expectations for an October rate hike had already been declining going into Friday’s jobs report. Two top policymakers said this week they wanted more data before deciding what to do next with interest rates. Odds of a December hike were last at around 86% probability, according to LSEG data.
Higher rates are often viewed as a negative for stocks because they increase borrowing costs for businesses and consumers.
On Wall Street, tempered expectations for an impending rate hike helped boost rate-sensitive stocks such as the S&P 500 real estate index, which gained 0.4%, and the small-cap Russell 2000 index, which gained 0.9% to register its biggest daily gain in a month.
The Nasdaq Composite was 1.2% higher, leading Wall Street, as it gained 319.27 points to 27,190.86. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 250.40 points, or 0.5%, to 51,176.96, the S&P 500 rose 56.27 points, or 0.7%, to 7,722.72. For the week, the S&P 500 shed 0.27%, the Nasdaq rose 0.45%, and the Dow fell 1.26%.
MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe rose 7.01 points, or 0.6%, to 1,140.27. The pan-European STOXX 600 index ended 0.75% higher.
The dollar was down against the euro and yen. The euro was last up 0.16% at $1.1259. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar weakened 0.18% to 157.79.
GAP BETWEEN GERMAN, FRENCH YIELDS HITS WIDEST SINCE 2011
US Treasury yields initially lost ground following the jobs data, but were later higher on the day, with some investors noting that the jobs report was not so weak that it removed chances for the Fed to raise rates in coming months.
Global bond markets have been steadily selling off in recent weeks as the US-Israeli war with Iran pushed up energy prices, complicating the inflation outlook and further straining already stretched public finances. Benchmark 10-year US yields closed September with their largest quarterly rise since 1994.
The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes was last up 4.72 basis points at 5.281%, while the 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Fed, was up 3.98 bps at 4.827%. For the week, 10-year yields were on track for a 10-basis-point increase, which would mark their fifth consecutive weekly gain.
Trading on Friday remained volatile in European government bond markets, with the gap between the German and French 10-year yields hitting the widest level since the euro zone debt crisis in 2011.
Overseas, German 2-year bond yields were last flat at 3.05%, having swung between session lows of 2.943% and highs of 3.063%, while French 2-year yields were around 4 bps higher at 3.73%, having risen to as much as 3.84% earlier. Italian 2-year yields were down 7 bps at 3.547%.
This week, 2-year German yields have fallen nearly a quarter point, while those on 2-year French bonds have risen nearly 14 bps.
Brent crude futures climbed while US West Texas Intermediate held on to a portion of earlier losses after European leaders agreed to US President Donald Trump’s request to release diesel reserves.
Brent was up 46 cents, or 0.45%, at $102.77 a barrel in late afternoon. WTI was down 1% to $91.90 a barrel.
Spot gold fell 1.01% to $4,135.68 an ounce.
Reporting by Samuel Indyk and Stella Qiu; Editing by Kevin Buckland, Jamie Freed, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, David Gaffen and Aurora Ellis
The US led a pressure campaign on the European Union to draw down emergency diesel inventories, with the Trump administration warning that failure to act could lead to a US ban on diesel exports
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) speaks next to French Presidential advisor Emmanuel Bonne (L), France’s Economy, Finance and Industry Minister Roland Lescure, Secretary-General of the Office of the President of the French Republic Pierre-Andre Imbert and Camille Morfouace de Broucker following a video conference with G7 leaders from the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on October 2, 2026. G7 leaders were holding talks on October 2, 2026, to coordinate action on tackling high fuel prices, after Washington upped pressure on Europe to release its strategic reserves or face a US diesel export ban. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS
International News via Reuters:
Group of Seven countries agreed on Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from emergency reserves and pledged to refrain from energy export restrictions after pressure from US President Donald Trump.
The US led a pressure campaign on the European Union to draw down emergency diesel inventories, with the Trump administration warning that failure to act could lead to a US ban on diesel exports. Such a ban could sharply reduce supplies to Europe, which has become increasingly reliant on US diesel, and potentially inflict high economic costs on the bloc.
Trump is seeking to cool surging fuel prices ahead of the November midterm elections.
Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for Alabama that the US would not impose a diesel export ban. He said the plan was never really on the table, even though in the past two weeks he said several times that such a ban was under consideration, and that he supported the idea.
“Europe has a lot of diesel, and they’re going to be making a major world contribution, and so are we. And we’re not going to be doing the export ban. We’re going to be doing what we’re supposed to do,” Trump said.
The Iran war sparked the biggest emergency stock release ever of 400 million barrels in March, coordinated by the International Energy Agency.
“Taking into account commitments that have already been fulfilled, we will implement our commitments with a coordinated release through the IEA of 100 million barrels,” the G7 said in a joint statement.
It was uncertain how much of the petroleum in the new agreement would come from what remains from the March pact. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said this week that members had released about two-thirds of the 400-million-barrel agreement.
The release will begin immediately and last four months, with a substantial amount of diesel to be released within 20 days by G7 members and partners, the statement said.
It did not provide a breakdown of the volumes of crude, diesel and other products to be released or say which countries would participate.
“We will convene in the context of the IEA in the coming days to discuss the possibility of additional diesel releases as necessary,” the statement added.
“Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel Oil. The process will begin immediately,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
CAREER-LOW RATINGS
Trump is seeking to bring down fuel prices as he faces a career-low 32% approval rating in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, with voters particularly concerned about the cost of living. The poll, conducted September 17-20, found that just 17% of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living.
The administration has made lowering energy prices a central focus as it seeks to ease the impact of the Iran war and high fuel costs on consumers and diesel-dependent industries such as trucking and farming.
The White House is preparing an executive order to tackle record-high US diesel prices that could be unveiled as early as next week, two people familiar with the process said.
The order is expected to include measures to expand the use of tax-exempt red-dyed diesel and other tax changes to lower fuel costs, the people said. Details are still being worked out and could change.
EXPORT BAN OFF TABLE
The G7 statement said member countries would refrain from imposing export restrictions on energy products among themselves, a move that could ease pressure on the Trump administration to impose a US diesel export ban.
“This is a political statement rather than a specific and binding commitment with the large headline number intended to persuade President Trump not to impose a diesel export ban,” analysts at Energy Aspects said in a note.
Europe has boosted its imports of US diesel this year as the Iran war disrupted supply from Gulf producers.
EU governments had discussed on Friday a proposal by France for European countries to release 50 million barrels of diesel, and for IEA members to release 50 million barrels of crude oil, three sources familiar with the discussions said.
A 50-million-barrel release of diesel would equate to approximately 17% of the EU’s total emergency stocks of diesel and gasoil, Eurostat data showed, or about 3% of the bloc’s annual consumption.
US diesel futures fell after reports of the stock-release discussions by 3.25% to $4.49 a gallon. Benchmark European diesel futures fell by roughly $83 per metric ton, down 5.75%, LSEG data showed.
Reporting by Kate Abnett and Jarrett Renshaw; Additional reporting by Forrest Crellin, Ahmad Ghaddar, Robert Harvey; Editing by Jason Neely, Timothy Gardner, Rod Nickel and David Gaffen
A growing Dutch outcry over the glasses mirrors a broader backlash against smart glasses equipped with cameras
FILE PHOTO: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wears the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, as he delivers a speech presenting the new line of smart glasses, during the Meta Connect event at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
International News via Reuters:
One of the largest Dutch eyewear retail chains said on Friday it had suspended sales of Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium amid growing privacy concerns, in one of the first such moves by a retailer.
“This decision follows the ongoing public and political debate surrounding smart glasses and the questions being raised about the conditions under which this technology can be used,” a spokesperson for the Hans Anders chain said.
A growing Dutch outcry over the glasses mirrors a broader backlash against smart glasses equipped with cameras.
In Britain, pub chain Wetherspoon has restricted use of Meta’s glasses over concerns about covert recording, while Meta and Luxottica face a US suit alleging videos captured by the glasses were viewed by human annotators without the knowledge of people filmed.
A Meta spokesperson said the company is continuing to develop the popular glasses. “Every pair with a camera has a bright light on the front that blinks when you take a photo or video — it can’t be turned off, and the camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with it,” they said.
In the Netherlands, privacy regulator AP last month warned that videos made with smart glasses showing identifiable people cannot generally be shared or published without their permission, which would be difficult to obtain in a public place.
Consumer rights group Consumentenbond this week said it would take Meta to court unless the company changes the glasses to comply with privacy law.
Offlimits, a group that combats online abuse, on Friday also urged Meta and Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica to voluntarily remove the glasses from sale until a way can be found to make surreptitious recordings impossible.
EssilorLuxottica could not immediately be reached for comment.
Hans Anders is a subsidiary of Nexeye, which is owned by private equity firm KKR. Nexeye operates 776 stores across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Sweden. It does not sell the glasses in the latter three countries.
The trip comes amid growing clamour from Caribbean and African nations for Britain and other colonial powers to pay reparations for their involvement in slavery, with the issue likely to be prominent at CHOGM
Commonwealth Games 2026 – Opening Ceremony – The Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – July 23, 2026 Britain’s King Charles speaks during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Phil Noble
International News via Reuters:
King Charles will not shy away from Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade when he tours the Caribbean later this month, but will not formally apologise for “the darkest days of our past”, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.
Charles and his wife Queen Camilla will visit the Bahamas and Guyana, before heading to Antigua and Barbuda where he will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which is being held from November 1-4 this year.
The trip comes amid growing clamour from Caribbean and African nations for Britain and other colonial powers to pay reparations for their involvement in slavery, with the issue likely to be prominent at CHOGM.
The British government has ruled out paying any reparations though Charles, who remains the head of state of a number of Caribbean nations including both the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, has previously expressed his sorrow about slavery.
As such, both reparations and apologies were a matter for the government, a palace spokesperson said.
“There are important discussions taking place in various fora about colonial legacy and the intergenerational impact of the transatlantic trade in enslaved persons,” the Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, adding the visit was coming at an important time in the relationship between Britain and Caribbean nations.
“The visit programme will therefore not shy away from ‘the darkest days of our past’, as his majesty has described them, but – in keeping with the wishes of our host nations – it will principally be oriented to the vibrant present and promising future of each country.”
From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were abducted and sold into slavery by European merchants, with Britain responsible for transporting an estimated 3.2 million people, making it the second most active European nation after Portugal.
Charles, who is head of the Commonwealth group of 56 nations – mainly former British colonies – encompassing some 2.7 billion people, has backed research into the British monarchy’s own historical links to the trade.
Last month, the Jamaican government also formally asked him to seek legal advice on whether Britain should pay reparations and said it was “encouraged” by the engagement of Buckingham Palace.
“It is important to note here the work his majesty himself has done over many years both to acknowledge the wrongs of the past and to find creative ways to right inequalities that endure,” the palace spokesperson said.
“As you would therefore expect, opportunities will be found during the visit to reflect and renew his personal, wholehearted, and continuing commitment to that process.”
In February, Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey told Reuters she expected its members to make progress towards beginning negotiations on reparations.
Reporting by Liza Premiyak; writing by Michael Holden, editing by Philippa Fletcher
The membership fee was a key component of the defence’s argument in the court this morning, in the legal contest between the Curtis Dickinson campaign and the PLP executive
Questions lingered in the Supreme Court around the determination of who are paying members of the Progressive Labour and who are not.
That membership fee was a key component of the defence’s argument in the court this morning, in the legal contest between the Curtis Dickinson campaign and the PLP executive.
PLP Leadership contender Mr Dickinson took the party executive to court after the Central Committee voted to pass membership amendments.
One of those amendments would have made brand new members ineligible to become delegates who can vote directly during the upcoming leadership election at the delayed Annual Delegates Conference.
Mr Dickinson is on record stating that his campaign has brought in more than 18-hundred new members.
Mark Pettingill cited five bulk membership payments, totalling nearly 46-thousand dollars, coming from Curtis Dickinson’s campaign office.
Mr Pettingill argued that party memberships are personal, and that the language of the payment process is personal.
He referred to Article 7 of the PLP Constitution which states – “upon joining the Party each member shall pay a subscription”… He added that the constitution’s clauses include language that says the Membership Secretary can issue a receipt “to any new member”, and refers to a new member “paying his subscription”.
Therefore, he reasoned that the verification of each person connected to each payment constitutes an essential step that precedes receiving full membership.
Mr Pettingill went on to cite the affidavit of the Membership Secretary – that the large bulk submissions of applications had raised a red flag.
Mr Pettingill, claimed Mr Dickinson’s actions equated to ” branch stacking,” a practice where a party member has gone to various branches to recruit members to increase influence in the party.
He quoted Curtis Dickinson’s affidavit – that his campaign had kept a list of those it had signed up – comprising 1835 new members.
He suggested that Mr Dickinson’s campaign has, quote, “gone about finding the road to the promised land” – the promised land being the PLP leadership.
Speaking to the party having reasonable limits on who can become members, he suggested that counsel for the plaintiff, Delroy Duncan KC, would take the approach that if the Opposition Leader was of age, filled in a form and paid, he should be a member…
It has been repeated by both parties in court that this is a contract case, and Justice Shade Subair Williams interrupted Mr Pettingill to say that her understanding is that, so long as the established membership process is satisfied, a person becomes a member, and it is after becoming a member that they will be subject to any discipline for purportedly acting against the party.
Mr Pettingill argued, “what a nonsense it would create… if you could force your way in [to the party], listen to their meetings…
“Court has to see this for what it is.”
He went on to question if one can really argue that the intention of the PLP in their constitution was all are welcome “even if you are the enemy”,
Justice Subair Williams asked Mr Pettingill if he is inviting the court to say what the party’s rules SHOULD be, rather than what they currently are.
Mr Pettingill said he was not, but added that the matter can’t just be seen in a box of being a strict contract, while ignoring the history and context of the PLP.
Delroy Duncan KC, for the plaintiffs, said that the defence’s points about payment of membership fees had not been raised in the case prior to today, and therefore he requested time to file evidence in response.
Justice Subair Williams adjourned the case until Monday afternoon.
On Thursday, 1 October, the Bermuda Monetary Authority (Authority or BMA) participated in its Annual Community Day event. As part of this dedicated day of service, employees from across the organisation came together to volunteer, connect, and support a variety of programmes in the local community. Now in its fifth year, the annual event demonstrates a long-standing commitment to supporting environmental, social well-being and health-focused initiatives in Bermuda.
This year, the BMA collaborated with eight different charities and community-serving organisations, giving staff the opportunity to choose the organisation they wished to support. Over 230 staff members spent the day volunteering in children and senior care, gardening and environmental conservation, and cleaning, maintenance, and landscaping.
Highlights included:
Windreach Bermuda
Volunteers participated in completing an inventory of a hardware and storage area, management of woodlands, animal care and composting that help to improve the facility for individuals with varying support needs
Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB)
Teams helped to protect Bermuda’s delicate coastal ecosystem by removing litter from various parks and open spaces across the island
Lefroy House Care Community
Volunteers read to and engaged with residents, helped in the activities department and assisted with maintenance projects that contribute to the quality of life and well-being of senior citizens
National Museum of Bermuda
At the museum in Dockyard, volunteers worked on painting, landscaping and maintenance to support this worldclass facility in preserving Bermuda’s cultural heritage
Tomorrow’s Voices
As part of this youth-focused initiative, volunteers participated in activities to help meet the diverse needs of individuals diagnosed with Autism or on the Autism spectrum starting at the age of 2 years old
Westmeath Residential and Nursing Care Home
Volunteers joined caregivers at the facility in providing person-centred care for senior citizens by reading, walking, talking and assisting with events and fundraising activities for senior citizens
Bermuda Zoological Society
Through hands-on landscaping, maintenance and gardening activities, volunteers joined the society’s efforts to establish small but powerful native forests that help to combat climate change and deforestation
The Bermuda National Trust
Dedicated teams put environmental stewardship into action by participating in planting, maintenance and landscaping projects to create a stronghold for native and endemic species while mulching and caring for surrounding woodlands
Shanna Lespere, the Authority’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, stated: “The Annual Community Day reflects the BMA’s deep-rooted commitment to sustainability and to giving back to our island home. It has become a cornerstone of our employee culture and an enduring tradition of service, bringing our people together to make a meaningful difference in the community. Through initiatives like this, we continue to foster empathy, compassion and social responsibility while contributing to positive change.”
The BMA’s first Community Day took place in 2022 as part of the organisation’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. Over the last four years, it has become a way to strengthen community ties and promote social responsibility and community giving.
Mesheiah Keane, the BMA’s Chief Operating Officer, stated: “Our staff worked together tirelessly this year to make a real difference and to enhance the quality of life for the community. We are proud of their efforts, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to each team member who invested their time, skills and talents in these projects. It is your energy and enthusiasm that continue to make this day so worthwhile.”
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 29,000 jobs last month after a downwardly revised 133,000 rise in August, the Labor Department’s closely watched employment report showed on Friday
International News via Reuters:
Global shares rose on Friday as wild volatility in bond and currency markets eased and oil prices fell, while weaker-than-forecast US jobs data scuppered chances of a rate hike from the Federal Reserve later this month.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 29,000 jobs last month after a downwardly revised 133,000 rise in August, the Labor Department’s closely watched employment report showed on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls advancing 90,000.
Bets on a second rate rise from the Federal Reserve this month faded after the data. Markets now assign a 15% chance of a hike in October from around 25% before the data.
Two top policymakers said this week they wanted more data before deciding what to do next with interest rates. Meanwhile, a move in December is still fully priced in.
Schroders senior economist George Brown said today’s figures may ease some concerns that previous interest rate cuts from the Fed could stoke inflation problems, but that it doesn’t alter the inflation backdrop.
“The Fed looks likely to unwind last year’s cuts,” Brown said.
“The bigger question is whether rates ultimately need to be taken into genuinely restrictive territory to bring inflation back under control.”
Wall Street futures extended gains after the data. Nasdaq futures were up 1.2% and S&P 500 futures gained 0.8%.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield fell 6 basis points to 5.1717%, down from the 24-year high of 5.3445% reached the day before.
The two-year yield, which is sensitive to changes in expectations for interest rate policy, fell 6.5 bps to 4.7204%.
FRENCH BONDS UNDERPERFORM
In Europe, longer-dated sovereign bond prices rose on the day, although those in more indebted countries, like France and Italy, lagged the gains in Germany, reflecting growing investor demand for protection against rising fiscal risks.
The German 10-year yield, the euro zone benchmark, was down 12 basis points on Friday, as investors preferred the relative safety of German bonds compared to their euro zone counterparts. Bond yields move inversely with prices.
In France, the 10-year yield was down slightly at 4.927%, pushing the gap between the German and French 10-year yields to over 154 bps, the widest level since the euro zone debt crisis in 2011.
“I wouldn’t call it a crisis yet, but it looks like it has the potential to be one,” said George Lagarias, chief economist at Forvis Mazars.
“If it goes on for a couple more weeks then we’ll be talking about a crisis in the bond market.”
Global bond markets have been under a sustained selloff in recent weeks as the US-Israeli war with Iran pushed up energy prices again, complicating the inflation outlook and further straining already stretched public finances.
But oil prices fell on Friday, providing some relief for stocks and bonds, as the energy market refocused on signs of recovering supplies from the Middle East and EU countries discussed a proposal to release additional diesel stockpiles.
US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 3.7% to $89.43 a barrel. Brent crude futures were down 2.7% to $99.45 a barrel, while European gasoil futures, a benchmark for diesel prices, fell about 5% to $1,378 a metric ton.
The relief in oil prices also supported European shares, with the pan-regional STOXX 600 index up 0.8%, although it is still heading for a weekly drop of about 1%.
In Asia, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.1% and settled for a weekly decline of 1.3%. Japan’s Nikkei dropped 0.9% but gained almost 3% for the week.
Mainland Chinese markets are closed through next Wednesday for a public holiday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slid 2.7% on Friday after a holiday.
DOLLAR DIPS AFTER DATA
The US dollar index, which gauges the currency against six peers, fell 0.1% to 101.86 after the US data, having rallied 0.6% the day before to hit the highest level since April 2025. It was still set for a third straight week of gains, up about 0.8%.
The rout in European bonds helped pin the euro lower and benefited the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc.
The euro was at $1.1248, having weakened 0.8% on Thursday to hit the lowest level since May 2025. The Swiss franc was up sharply against both the dollar and euro.
The yen firmed 0.6% to 157.11 per dollar after data showed underlying inflation in Japan’s capital accelerated to an annual rate of 2.7% in September, bolstering the case for further interest rate hikes.
Reporting by Samuel Indyk and Stella Qiu; Editing by Kevin Buckland, Jamie Freed and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
The proposal, discussed on a call involving EU governments, calls for European countries to release 50 million barrels of diesel and International Energy Agency members to release 50 million barrels of crude oil
A person refuels a vehicle at a gas station, as the German government’s tax cut on fuel comes into effect, in Berlin, Germany, October 01, 2026. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt
International News via Reuters:
European Union countries discussed a French proposal on Friday to release diesel stocks in response to US pressure to help cool surging fuel prices linked to the Iran war, three sources familiar with details of the discussion told Reuters.
The proposal, discussed on a call involving EU governments, calls for European countries to release 50 million barrels of diesel and International Energy Agency members to release 50 million barrels of crude oil, the sources said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to chair a videoconference with G7 leaders at 2:30 p.m. Paris time (1230 GMT) focused on the global energy situation, the Elysee Palace said.
Europe would release part of the diesel volumes in a 20-day period, responding to US President Donald Trump’s demand for a rapid release of fuel stocks, two of the sources said.
Oil prices fell more than 2% and European gasoil futures fell by about 5% on Friday after reports of the talks. Benchmark European diesel futures were trading 4.5% lower at $1,384.50 a metric ton at 1245 GMT, LSEG data showed. European diesel refining margins were down 4.4% at $73.30 a barrel, having hit a record of about $95 last week.
The discussions underscore growing pressure on Europe as Trump considers a potential ban on US diesel exports to help lower domestic fuel prices ahead of November 3 midterm elections.
In weighing its response, the EU needs to balance the need to ease soaring fuel costs against preserving emergency reserves to safeguard against uncertain supply from Gulf producers due to disruptions caused by the Iran war.
France’s finance and energy ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
French President Macron spoke with Trump overnight, emphasising the need to work together to combat rising fuel prices and ensure the global availability of refined products, the Elysee Palace said on Friday. France currently holds the presidency of the G7.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the Trump administration had told Germany and France to draw down emergency diesel inventories or face a potential US diesel export ban, according to three people close to the discussions.
The US had demanded large European countries including France and Germany release 100 million barrels of diesel within a 20-day window, two of the sources told Reuters on Friday.
Global diesel supply has been hit by the US war with Iran and a Russian ban on exports after Ukraine damaged many of its refineries. Chinese refiners have also suspended October fuel exports to bolster domestic stocks, sources said.
The proposed 50-million-barrel release equates to approximately 17% of the EU’s total emergency stocks of diesel and gasoil, Eurostat data current as of May 2025 showed.
It reflects around 3% of the bloc’s annual consumption of the fuel, Eurostat data show.
Europe used to mainly rely on Russian and Middle Eastern diesel imports but has increasingly relied on imports from the United States in recent years.
“Having been caught dragging their feet on promised strategic stock releases earlier this year and now jarred by possible U.S. export restrictions, European countries will likely release more diesel and possibly crude from their stocks,” said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group.
“European strategic stock releases are a necessary, if not sufficient, condition to prevent U.S. export restrictions, which would still remain on the table given acute political anxiety in the White House about high pump prices.”
In the call on Friday, EU countries discussed making a condition for any agreement on diesel stock releases a US commitment to not impose a unilateral diesel export ban, one of the sources said.
The 32-member IEA agreed in March to a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of strategic oil reserves, in response to the Iran war, the largest such release in history.
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said this week that members had released about two-thirds of those volumes.
Reporting by Kate Abnett, additional reporting by Forrest Crellin, Ahmad Ghaddar, Robert Harvey and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Kirsten Donovan and Jason Neely
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
