U.S. economic growth slowed sharply at the end of 2025, with GDP rising just 1.4% annualized in Q4, below the 2.5% forecast, largely due to the record-length government shutdown. Consumer spending and exports pulled back, while federal government spending fell 16.6%, though state and local outlays rose modestly. Despite slower growth, inflation remained elevated, with the core personal consumption expenditures index up 3% in December, … Continue reading Fourth-quarter U.S. GDP up just 1.4%, badly missing estimate; inflation firms at 3%

Bayer has proposed a $7.25 billion (€6.1 billion) nationwide settlement to resolve roughly 65,000 U.S. lawsuits claiming its weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiffs allege exposure to Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, led to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other cancers, while Bayer maintains decades of studies show it is safe and denies wrongdoing. The settlement would involve annual payments over 21 years, with amounts varying based on use, … Continue reading Bayer agrees to pay billions to settle Roundup lawsuits

U.S. stock indexes rose Wednesday as technology shares rebounded after an AI-driven selloff, while investors awaited minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting. The S&P 500 software and services sector climbed 1.4%, led by a 9.5% gain in Cadence Design Systems, though Palo Alto Networks fell 6.3% after lowering its profit forecast. Megacap tech companies also advanced, with Nvidia up 2.6% following a multi-year … Continue reading Wall St rises as tech stocks recoup some losses

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court in a landmark case, K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms, over claims that social media platforms harm children. The plaintiff, a 20-year-old California woman, alleges that Meta and other companies engineered their platforms to addict young users, contributing to her depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta and Google’s YouTube deny the claims, citing safety features, parental … Continue reading Meta CEO to testify in high-stakes trial that could cost Big Tech billions

Amazon shares rose more than 1% on Tuesday, ending a nine-day losing streak that had erased over $450 billion in market value. The drop followed concerns over the company’s $200 billion capital expenditure plan for 2026, a nearly 60% increase from last year, mostly aimed at AI-related infrastructure like data centers, chips, and networking. Other tech giants, including Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta, are also ramping … Continue reading Amazon snaps 9-day losing streak during which it lost more than $450 billion in value

Gold fell below $5,000 on Tuesday, dropping $109.30 to $4,936 an ounce, while silver plunged 5.2% to $73.92 amid the start of China’s Lunar New Year holiday. The absence of Asian buyers, particularly from China, removed key support for precious metals, contributing to the sharp declines, analysts said. Other metals also tumbled, with copper down 2.3% and platinum slipping 4.2% as investor momentum slowed. A … Continue reading Gold prices tumble below $5,000, silver is under $75

Wendy’s plans to close 5% to 6% of its U.S. restaurants in the first half of 2026 as part of a previously announced turnaround plan. The closures follow 28 stores shut during the fourth quarter, targeting consistently underperforming locations while allowing franchisees to focus on more profitable outlets. The chain’s U.S. same-store sales fell 11.3% in the last quarter of 2025 and 5.6% for the … Continue reading Wendy’s will continue closing hundreds of stores through mid-2026

Inflation in the U.S. eased to a near five-year low in January, with consumer prices rising 2.4% year-over-year and core prices, excluding food and energy, up 2.5%, driven by slower rent growth and falling gas prices. Monthly increases were modest, with used car prices dropping 1.8% and gas falling 3.2%, while some items like airline fares, furniture, and appliances saw sharper rises. Housing costs, which … Continue reading Inflation measure falls to nearly five-year low as gas prices fall and housing costs cool

Japan’s economy narrowly avoided a technical recession in Q4 2025, growing just 0.1% compared with the previous quarter, following a 0.7% contraction in Q3. Annualized GDP rose 0.2%, below economists’ expectations of 1.6%, with private consumption supporting modest growth while exports and public spending weakened. The Nikkei 225 edged higher after the data, though the yen weakened against the dollar, and the Bank of Japan … Continue reading Japan’s economy avoids technical recession

American Airlines flight attendants held a picket outside the company’s headquarters, demanding new leadership amid frustration over low profitability and operational struggles compared with rivals Delta and United. The union issued a vote of no confidence in CEO Robert Isom, who has faced criticism from pilots and mechanics’ unions as well. Isom has promised improvements in profits, schedules, cabin upgrades, and lounges, and the airline … Continue reading American Airlines flight attendants picket as CEO tries to calm frustrated employees

Anthropic has closed a $30 billion funding round at a $380 billion valuation, making it the second-largest private tech fundraising behind OpenAI’s $40 billion round last year. The company, founded by former OpenAI researchers, is expanding its enterprise-focused AI offerings, including Claude and the coding tool Claude Code, which now generates $2.5 billion in annualized revenue. The fresh capital will support infrastructure, research, and continued … Continue reading Anthropic closes $30 billion funding round as cash keeps flowing into top AI startups

Apple’s stock fell 5% Thursday, wiping out $202 billion in market value, after reports suggested delays in rolling out an upgraded version of its Siri assistant. The tech giant had planned to release new Siri features with iOS 26.4 in March, but testing issues may push some updates to iOS 26.5 in May and iOS 27 in September. Problems include Siri relying too heavily on … Continue reading Apple sees $200 billion market-cap wipeout as stock slides on AI fears

Ford Motor reported its largest quarterly earnings miss in four years, with adjusted EPS of 13 cents versus 19 cents expected, largely due to unexpected tariff costs and supply disruptions from a Novelis aluminum plant fire. Despite the miss, automotive revenue came in slightly above expectations at $42.4 billion, and full-year 2025 revenue reached a record $187.3 billion, up 1% from 2024. The company posted … Continue reading Ford reports worst quarterly earnings miss in four years

McDonald’s reported quarterly earnings and revenue that beat analysts’ expectations, driven by a value-focused push that has boosted customer traffic. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $3.12 versus the $3.05 expected, while revenue rose 10% to $7 billion, surpassing the $6.84 billion forecast. Same-store sales climbed 5.7% overall, led by a 6.8% increase in the U.S., with promotions like the Grinch Meal and Monopoly … Continue reading McDonald’s earnings beat estimates as chain’s value push pays off

The U.S. economy added 130,000 jobs in January, exceeding expectations, while the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.3%, according to Labor Department data. However, revised figures show that 2025 overall saw just 181,000 jobs added, the slowest annual growth outside a recession since 2003, with much of January’s gains concentrated in healthcare and construction. Government jobs continued to decline at the federal, state, and local … Continue reading January jobs report smashes expectations as payrolls grow by 130,000

Bitcoin fell below $70,000 on Monday, sliding to $69,037 after last week’s volatile swings that saw it drop to $60,033 before rebounding above $70,000. The cryptocurrency has struggled to maintain bullish momentum despite institutional adoption and a crypto-friendly U.S. administration. Volatility remains high, with the Bitcoin Volmex Implied Volatility Index spiking above 97%, the largest intraday jump since the 2022 FTX collapse. Investor interest remains, … Continue reading Bitcoin Falls Below $70,000 After Wild Roller-Coaster Ride

Kroger has appointed former Walmart executive Greg Foran as its new CEO, following a year-long search after Rodney McMullen was ousted in March for conduct “inconsistent” with company policies. Foran, formerly CEO of Air New Zealand and head of Walmart U.S., is credited with turning around Walmart’s operations, achieving 20 quarters of comparable sales growth. He takes over as Kroger faces weak consumer spending and … Continue reading Grocery giant Kroger names former Walmart executive Greg Foran as CEO

Novo Nordisk is suing telehealth provider Hims & Hers for marketing unapproved, cheaper copies of its Wegovy obesity pill and injections, claiming the compounded drugs infringe on its patents and put patients at risk. The lawsuit seeks to permanently stop Hims from selling these copycats and to recover damages, as Novo accuses Hims of mass-producing “personalized” medicines illegally. Hims has defended its practices, calling the … Continue reading Novo Nordisk sues Hims & Hers over copycat versions of Wegovy

A U.S. jury ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to Jaylynn Dean, who said she was sexually assaulted by a driver when she was 19, in the first bellwether trial of more than 3,000 similar lawsuits against the company. The jury found the driver was acting as an agent of Uber, holding the company liable, but declined to award punitive damages. Uber said it will … Continue reading Uber ordered to pay $8.5 million in trial over driver sex assault claims

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb said it accidentally distributed more than $40 billion worth of bitcoin to customers as promotional rewards, triggering a sharp selloff. The error occurred when users meant to receive small cash bonuses instead received at least 2,000 bitcoins each, affecting 695 customers. Bithumb said it recovered 99.7% of the mistakenly distributed bitcoin within 35 minutes and stressed the incident was not … Continue reading South Korean crypto firm accidentally sends $44 billion in bitcoin to users

Hims & Hers said Saturday it will pull its compounded semaglutide weight-loss pill after backlash and threats of legal action. The telehealth company said it decided to stop offering the treatment following discussions with industry stakeholders, while emphasizing its commitment to safe and affordable care. The pill was intended as a cheaper alternative to Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, priced as low as $49 for the first … Continue reading Hims & Hers pulls copycat weight-loss pill after threats of legal action

Will Lewis announced he is stepping down as publisher and CEO of The Washington Post after two turbulent years marked by controversy, deep financial losses, and mass layoffs. More than a third of the newsroom was cut after losses reached as high as $100 million, with Lewis largely absent from public explanations to staff or readers. Journalists, having lost confidence in his leadership, appealed directly … Continue reading ‘Washington Post’ CEO resigns after going AWOL during massive job cuts

Darden Restaurants announced it will close the remaining 28 Bahama Breeze locations in the coming months, marking the end of the Caribbean-themed chain. Half of the locations will shut down entirely by April 5, while the other half will be converted into different Darden-owned restaurants over the next 12 to 18 months. The company said the decision follows earlier closures last year and reflects a … Continue reading Beloved restaurant chain stuns patrons by closing all locations after 30 years

Gold and silver prices climbed again on Wednesday as investors returned to precious metals following last week’s sharp selloff. Spot gold rose about 2.4% and silver surged nearly 6%, rebounding from a historic plunge that saw silver post its worst one-day drop since 1980. Analysts said the recovery was driven by dip buying, a softer U.S. dollar, and stabilizing broader markets. Mining stocks mostly gained … Continue reading Gold and silver extend rebound but concerns over volatility linger

Stocks fell sharply Tuesday as investors sold off software and data companies amid fears that new AI tools could disrupt their businesses. The tech sector led losses, dragging the S&P 500 down 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite down 1.4%, after Anthropic unveiled an AI agent capable of handling tasks across law, finance, and data analytics. Major firms like Salesforce, Thomson Reuters, CoStar, and the London … Continue reading Stocks and bitcoin sink as investors dump software company shares