The number of available positions rose slightly to 7.67 million in October from 7.66 million in the prior month, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 7.12 million vacancies in October.

Recent data shows that U.S. job openings climbed to 7.67 million, marking the highest level in five months, with a job openings rate of 4.6%. The figures, which combine September and October due to earlier data delays, also indicate that hiring rates declined during both months, while separations saw minimal overall change.

The labor market remains characterized by a low-hiring environment, as the number of layoffs and quits stayed relatively stable. The lack of prior data, partly due to a government shutdown, has made interpreting trends more challenging for analysts and policymakers.

U.S. job openings pick up to highest level in five months

We are starting to see them, 7,670,000 job openings. The job openings rate 4.6%. And the quits level at 2,941,000 for some context. And as you know, context changes everything. Michael McKee, Bloomberg's international economics and policy correspondent, joins us here on set. So Mike, looking through these numbers, and they're just crossing the terminal, what do you see? Well, the interesting thing about this, of course, is that we haven't had any of these numbers for months. And this is a sort of combination of September and October. I presume it's loading very slowly on the internet. I presume that the 7,670,000 job openings is an end of October number. So it is the most up to date. I'm not sure what September would matter in there. But the thing that people are looking at is the difference between hirings and separations. And total separations, according to this, let's see here. Hey, Mike, why don't I let you look through some of that? I just want to do a quick market reaction. Oh, here we go. Little change at 5.1 million. So it doesn't look like a lot of people were laid off. That's kind of the bottom line here, is we want to look at not necessarily, in this case, the number of job openings, but the number of hirings and the number of separations. And separations didn't change very much. Because the question is, is this a low-hiring environment? And that seems to be the case right now. And especially when you see job openings go up, you're looking at a lot of jobs that may not have been filled. The layoffs rate 1.2%, and the quits rate 1.8%. By the way, it's so weird to see no prior number. I look at the eco screen. You can also type WECO, if you want W-E-C-O, and pick your flag. But typically, in the prior column, there's a reading there. Is the reason that we don't have one because of the government shutdown? Yes, because there is no prior reading. We're not getting actual data as a past data. Or we are getting it, it looks like, for September. But it's included in this. So it doesn't show up as the prior yet. But it'll take a while to get that into our database. In terms of the market reaction, you're seeing some of the gains in treasuries turn into losses this morning. You're looking at treasury yields. They are a little changed. But before, they were moving lower. Stocks, they're still at their session highs of this morning. There you go. There's what two-year yields look like. Stocks are still at their session highs. So treasuries don't like it. Equities do like it. But Mike, just to carry off of Matt's point, the fact that we don't have any of the prior data, that we haven't been getting a lot of data, does it make it that much harder just to understand what Joltz is telling us at this moment to interpret it? Once you go under the hood, it gets a little bit easier. And I've just been able to do that. When you look at total job openings during the months of September and October, they went up in both months a little bit. So not a lot, but a little bit. But then you look at hires, and hiring went down in September and in October. And separations went up in September, went down in October. So it looks like there was very little movement overall once you average those things out. And that tells you that not a lot changed, which is going to make it interesting for the Fed to try to figure out exactly where the labor market is here. Now, one number everybody's been looking at was to see government separations. Dude, separation sounds so clinical. Is that firings, or is that quits, or is it both? It's all. It's firings, quits, layoffs. And we see federal government went up in September significantly, but then comes down again by half in October. So we expected a big jump in September because of the end of the fiscal year when all the people who had been fired by DOJ stopped getting paid. And it looks like maybe we got some of that. But it's now come back some. So what that would tell you about what the November employment levels are is a little hard to figure out.

In Australia, millions of kids' social media profiles are going dark, as the country's new social media ban takes effect for anyone under 16. Jo Ling Kent reports.

Canberra

Australia's social media ban takes effect for kids under 16

President Trump, in recent months, has dismissed concerns about affordability, but this evening, in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, he is focusing on the crisis and touting his administration's efforts to lower the cost of living. Nancy Cordes has more.

Pennsylvania

Trump tries to flip the script on affordability

Dozens of protesters blocked a highway near Tel Aviv to demonstrate against moves by the Israeli government to force some ultra-Orthodox Jews into mandatory military service, something they are currently exempt from so they can study the Torah full time.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Bill over ultra-Orthodox military conscription sparks protests in Israel

President Trump has told Politico that Nicolas Maduro's "days are numbered" in Venezuela. Political strategists Kevin Sheridan and Hyma Moore join with analysis.

Washington

Trump says Maduro’s “days are numbered”

The FBI has released a new photo of former Olympian Ryan Wedding, whom the bureau’s director has described as a “modern day iteration of Pablo Escobar.” The ex-skier and snowboarder remains at large as agents continue their search.

FBI releases photo of Olympian and alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Pope Leo XIV and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Tuesday (December 9), meanwhile voicing his refusal to surrender territory to Moscow despite pressure from Washington for territorial concessions.

Rome

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskyy seeks backing from Pope Leo XIV, Italian PM Meloni

A federal judge said Tuesday (December 9) that the Department of Justice can unseal the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case records. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane has more details.

Judge says DOJ can unseal Ghislaine Maxwell trafficking case records

Prosecutors on Monday (December 8) released new evidence seized from Luigi Mangione on the day of his arrest. He is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a year ago and has pleaded not guilty.

Manhattan

New evidence introduced in Luigi Mangione case

The EU antitrust enforcer has opened an investigation into the U.S. tech giant over its use of online content to power its AI services, a move that threatens to ratchet up transatlantic relations.

Brussels

EU Commission opens probe into Google over AI

The U.S. government said the approval, which comes in exchange for a 25% surcharge, would also be available to other chipmakers like Intel and AMD.

Trump gives Nvidia green light to sell H200 chips to China

Ukraine is set to present a revised peace plan to the United States on Tuesday following President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s talks in London with the leaders of France, Germany, and Britain.

London

Ukraine to share revised peace plan with U.S., Zelenskiy says

The International Criminal Court Tuesday handed down a sentence of 20 years to a Sudanese militia leader for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's civil war two decades ago.

ICC sentences Sudan militia chief for crimes against humanity

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (December 8) unveiled a $12 billion aid package for American farmers, the latest government effort to shore up a key political constituency hurt by the financial fallout from his trade policies.

Trump unveils $12 billion aid package for farmers hit by trade war

Thailand and Cambodia are blaming one another for starting a deadly exchange of fire that killed at least five people and threatens to unravel a U.S.-backed ceasefire between the neighbouring southeast Asian countries.

Surin

Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire could be unravelling

Paramount Skydance made a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery for $108 billion US just days after Netflix announced it made a $72-billion US deal with the legacy studio. It’s a move that even has U.S. President Donald Trump weighing in.

Hollywood

Paramount launches hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros.

President Trump announced Monday he will allow Nvidia to sell its advanced H200 computer chips to "approved customers" in China, but Mr. Trump said the deal does not include Nvidia's more advanced Blackwell system or its soon-to-be-released Rubin system.

Trump says he's letting Nvidia sell some AI chips to China

Ukraine's European allies put on a show of support for President Volodymyr Zelensky Monday as they expressed scepticism about parts of the U.S. proposal to end the war with Russia. The discussions came after President Donald Trump accused Zelensky of not reading his administration's proposal on a deal to end Russia's invasion following almost four years of war.

Downing Street

European allies back Zelensky after Trump criticism

A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan late on Monday (December 8), prompting orders for about 90,000 residents to evacuate and tsunami warnings that hours later were downgraded to advisories.

Aomori

7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Japan's northeast

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday (December 8) that unity between Europe, Ukraine and the U.S. was important when negotiating an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. He made the remark during a visit to London.

Kyiv stresses European unity as allies 'skeptical' of U.S. peace plan

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European allies prepared to hold talks in London on Monday (December 8), after President Donald Trump accused him of not reading the U.S. proposal to end the war with Russia.

Zelenskyy to meet European allies after Trump criticism

Thailand has launched airstrikes on Cambodian military sites as renewed border violence threatens a U.S.-backed peace deal.

Bangkok

Renewed border violence threatens Thai-Cambodia peace

South African authorities have withdrawn a 90-day visa exemption for Palestinians, saying the recent arrival of a charter flight with 153 people onboard was part of a campaign of “forced migration.”

Johannesburg

Middle East Conflict

South Africa withdraws 90-days visa exemption for Palestinians

Chinese and Japanese ties came under further strain after a Chinese fighter aircraft trained fire-control radar on Japanese military jets for the first time.

Okinawa

Chinese fighter jet locks radar on Japan planes

A military coup declared in Benin on Sunday has failed, the country’s interior minister said, just hours after soldiers took over state television to announce the dissolution of government.

Porto-Novo

Benin coup attempt thwarted by soldiers loyal to Republic

Hong Kong's citizens were voting on Sunday in an election where the focus is on turnout, with residents grieving and traumatized after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years and the authorities scrambling to avoid a broader public backlash.

Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong holds tightly guarded election amid anger over deadly fire

A U.S. envoy says territorial claims remain a sticking point in a proposed peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S.-led meetings have ended; meanwhile, Russia launched a massive strike on central Ukraine early Sunday.

Kyiv

U.S.-led peace talks wrap as Russia launches strike on Ukraine

Russia targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight, meaning another winter of power outages for Ukrainians as Vladimir Putin tries to crush their resolve. Holly Williams reports.

Moscow

Russia targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats, saying President Trump can take decisive military action as he sees fit. Willie James Inman reports on the latest.

Pete Hegseth on boat strikes: "We will find you and we will sink you"

To crackdown on so-called “narcoterrorists”, the US has slowly but steadily been building up its military presence in the Caribbean. 15,000 troops are now stationed in the area, many in Puerto Rico.

Ponce

U.S boosts military presence in Puerto Rico amid Venezuela tensions

Residents in the Indonesian region of Aceh Tamiang have been struggling to get aid while mourning the loss of their loved ones, as the death toll from floods and landslides that hit Sumatra island this month rose to more than 900 people.

Breakdown