Unemployment rate jumps to 26-year high of 9.7%

Date: Friday, September 4, 2009

Unemployment rate jumps to 26-year high of 9.7%

The U.S. unemployment rate jumps to a 26-year high of 9.7% in August as nonfarm
payrolls drop by 216,000, marking the 20th consecutive monthly
decline, Labor Department estimates show.

HERE'S WHERE THE JOBS CAN BE FOUND TODAY

That's a lot of competition for any job opening, but the good news is that
hiring continues in some pockets of the economy. Job openings exist in fields
ranging from the government to renewable energy to health care. And in some
parts of the country, work is easier to find than others.

U.S. STOCKS ADVANCE; HEALTH CARE PART OF RISE

Underscoring how it's morphed somewhat from its traditional role as a defensive
play, the health-care sector stands front and center in the U.S. stock market's
volatile pre-holiday gains Friday.

TREASURYS LOWER AFTER U.S. JOBS REPORT

Treasury prices trade lower as yields trend higher, with bond traders digesting
government data showing that the U.S. economy shed a smaller-than-expected
216,000 jobs in August but that the nation's unemployment rate jumped to 9.7%,
a 26-year high.

GOLD FALLS AFTER RALLYING NEAR $1,000 AN OUNCE

Gold loses steam after rallying near $1,000 an ounce in the previous session.
Futures fall back as the U.S. dollar strengthens and as a jobs report that fell
largely in line with expectations curbs gold's safe-haven appeal.