U.S. initial jobless claims fell more than expected, a move that may reflect last Friday’s Juneteenth holiday; Pansen Macro analyst Samuel Thomas says weeks affected by that holiday have shown declines in claims over the past three years. Nevertheless, initial claims — a proxy for layoffs — have trended higher since early May, consistent with slowing employment growth. Thomas expects continued hiring caution to push the unemployment rate to 4.7% by year-end.

AEMO’s biennial Integrated System Plan says data-centre electricity demand will surge over the next 25 years, almost doubling consumption on Australia’s main grid by 2050. Data centres could make up nearly 10% of National Electricity Market (NEM) underlying demand by 2050, about four times today’s share. AEMO identifies a renewables-led, network-connected system—backed by storage and gas—as the lowest-cost pathway. Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the government intends to deploy domestic solar and wind to deliver cheaper, cleaner power and shield the grid from global market volatility.

Hurun Research Institute’s 2026 Global Unicorn List shows a record 1,603 unicorns worldwide, up 80 from a year ago. The US leads with 806 unicorns, up 48 and accounting for 50.3% of the total. China ranks second with 381 unicorns, up 38.