Hello friends and Fortune readers.
The dog days of summer are truly upon us. The July 4th weekend has passed, and now its just a hot, sweaty slog until Labor Day. Pretty soon we won’t even have the World Cup to distract us anymore. The world keeps turning, though, and so do the markets. Here is what you need to know for today.
1. Weekly job claims are out.
The news on the job front has been good lately, and another sign came out today: fewer American’s than expected filed jobless claims this week, according to Bloomberg. This follows the news from before the July 4 holiday weekend we learned that the unemployment rate fell to 6.1%, the lowest since 2008. Then earlier this week the JOLTS data showed the highest amount of job openings since 2007.
2. Malwarebytes raises $30 million.
If you’ve ever had a computer virus you just couldn’t figure out, you may have used Malwarebytes before. The anti-virus start-up just raised $30 million, according to the New York Times. The money comes from Highland Capital Partners, and it represents the first outside money the company has raised since it launched in 2008.
3. IndiGo could be spending $20 million with Airbus.
Indian airline IndiGo may be placing an order for 200 additional planes with manufacturer Airbus, according to Bloomberg. The order could be placed as early as next week.
4. Family Dollar earnings are down.
The dollar-store chain recently targeted by Carl Icahn and his investors posted disappointing earnings quarter today. The company missed targets and reported earnings of just $81.1 million, down from $120.9 million for the same quarter a year ago.
5. LeBron James mania continues.
In news that proves we may have reached peak LeBron, it was reported feverishly yesterday that the basketball superstar had moving vans at his house in Miami, pushing speculation that he would not be returning to the Heat. Reports in the past few days have hinted at a reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers, though at this point anything seems possible. James is said to be seeing the maximum contract available to him, meaning he’ll go from just crazy rich to unbelievably rich.
And Fortune broke the news yesterday that consulting firm Teneo has lured the three biggest basketball stars on the planet (including LeBron), along with golfer Graeme McDowell, to its beefed-up sports arm.
