Initial filings for US unemployment insurance slipped to a seasonally adjusted 194,000, among the lowest readings since the 1960s. The data points to a continuing trend of low layoffs across the American labor market.
Meta Platforms shares fell 6% after third-quarter spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure pushed the company's free cash flow negative for the first time in years. Prices for Meta's five-year credit default swaps climbed to record highs as investors signaled growing concern over the company's debt risk.
Barclays said it will cut 5,000 jobs, about 5% of its workforce, as the British bank increases its reliance on artificial intelligence. The lender said AI tools are taking over tasks previously handled by staff across its operations.
Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, posted a $30 billion loss in the third quarter after a bond market slump hit its holdings. Norges Bank Investment Management, which runs the roughly $2.3 trillion fund, said returns on its bond portfolio turned negative as yields rose.
Shares of AI cloud-computing company CoreWeave have fallen 29% in October. CNBC reports that the spreads on the company's credit default swaps are also widening, meaning investors are pricing in higher risk of default on its debt. The slide renews questions about the financing costs behind massive AI infrastructure spending.
Meta has been fined $25 billion over allegations that it lied to users about how it handled their personal data. BBC Business describes the penalty as the largest yet imposed on Facebook's parent company, surpassing an earlier $18 billion privacy settlement Meta reached with the state of California. Meta has not yet issued a public response.