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BusinessAP News

KFC opens a Texas restaurant to test ideas for reclaiming its fried chicken crown

KFC's opened a test kitchen in McKinney, Texas, where the company's trying out ideas it hopes will win back customers who've drifted toward Popeyes and Chick-fil-A over the past decade. The chain calls it the Open House—a single location designed as a laboratory for new menu items, faster service, and a redesigned dining space. It's part of a broader effort to reverse KFC's decline in the American market, where competitors have steadily taken share. The company's testing everything from preparation methods to how it presents fried chicken to customers walking through the door. What works in McKinney could roll out to hundreds of locations nationwide. For now, though, KFC's keeping this experiment contained—watching carefully to see which ideas actually draw people back.

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BusinessUSA Today

Americans are taking Social Security early. Will the fund run dry?

More Americans are claiming Social Security before reaching full retirement age, raising questions about the program's long-term solvency. First, the numbers tell a clear story. About forty-five percent of people now expect to claim benefits before their full retirement age, which ranges from sixty-six to sixty-seven depending on birth year. Then there's the financial trade-off: claiming early means accepting a permanently reduced monthly payment—sometimes twenty-five to thirty percent less than waiting would provide. And finally, the math compounds over time. Someone who claims at sixty-two instead of seventy forgoes years of higher payments, a gap that widens the longer they live. The Social Security trust fund faces depletion around 2033 unless Congress acts, though current claimants would still receive roughly eighty percent of scheduled benefits. The real tension isn't whether people can afford to wait—it's whether they believe they can.

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BusinessYahoo Finance

Oracle stock drops as the company moves to shield itself from costs linked to controversial data center

Oracle's invoking force majeure on a data center project in Texas, claiming circumstances beyond its control prevent it from meeting obligations there. The company's stock fell five percent on the news. Oracle had committed to a massive facility meant to power artificial intelligence infrastructure, but local opposition and supply chain complications have stalled progress. By formally declaring force majeure—a legal shield against liability for unforeseeable events—Oracle's attempting to distance itself from financial penalties tied to delays. That matters for Bloom Energy and GE Vernova, the power suppliers contracted to support the site. They're now exposed to the cost overruns Oracle's trying to avoid. It's a reminder that even the largest tech commitments can unravel when local communities push back and timelines slip. Oracle's legal maneuver may protect its balance sheet, but it's shifted the burden elsewhere.

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BusinessReuters

Bonds shaky, oil eases off highs amid trade, peace talks

Markets are treading carefully this week as investors digest competing signals from trade negotiations and Middle East peace talks. First, oil's pulled back from recent highs—crude's easing as traders weigh whether diplomatic progress might ease supply concerns that'd pushed prices up sharply. Second, bond markets are showing real strain. U.S. Treasury yields remain elevated, and that's weighing on stock valuations globally; Asian equities are trading mixed as investors try to parse whether yields will hold or retreat. And finally, the dollar's holding a two-month high against major currencies, keeping the yen near its lows—a dynamic that typically favors exporters but complicates borrowing costs for emerging markets. The picture's unsettled because nobody's quite sure yet whether these talks will actually shift the calculus on inflation and interest rates.

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BusinessFinancial Times

US oil industry pushes back against proposed diesel export ban

The US oil industry is mounting a coordinated campaign against a proposed ban on diesel exports, warning that restrictions would hurt refiners and potentially backfire on domestic prices. The effort has strained relationships between Republicans and major energy companies, which argue that limiting overseas sales would reduce refinery margins and investment. Diesel prices recently hit record highs, prompting some lawmakers to consider export controls as a way to ease domestic supply pressures. The industry contends that export bans typically prove ineffective at lowering consumer prices and could push refiners to reduce output instead. The proposal remains under consideration in Congress, with the outcome likely to hinge on whether policymakers prioritize short-term price relief or longer-term industry stability.

Read the story Financial Times ↗

BusinessYahoo Finance

Meta's Zuckerberg says Muse AI agent will take a small fee from transactions

Meta's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg says the company's new Muse AI agent will charge users a small fee on financial transactions it completes on their behalf. Muse, which launched recently, can execute trades, transfer money, and manage investments without direct human intervention. The agent's business model marks a shift for Meta—rather than relying solely on advertising revenue, the company will capture a cut from the financial activity it facilitates. Zuckerberg didn't specify the fee percentage, but positioned it as modest enough to remain competitive with traditional brokerages. The move reflects how AI agents are beginning to operate as intermediaries in financial services. Expect regulatory scrutiny as Muse scales; the SEC and financial regulators will likely examine whether Meta's fee structure and disclosures meet securities law requirements.

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BusinessPolitico

‘Dammit, something has to happen’: White House preparing plan for 90-day diesel exports ban

The White House is preparing a ninety-day ban on diesel exports as it weighs ways to ease fuel prices ahead of the midterms. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has dismissed the idea publicly, but internal planning suggests the administration is taking it seriously. Diesel prices have remained elevated relative to gasoline, and the oil industry has warned that restricting exports would likely push domestic pump prices higher, not lower. The ban would mark a sharp reversal from the Biden administration's earlier support for energy exports as a way to support allies and constrain Russian revenues. Officials will present options to the president in coming weeks.

Read the story Politico ↗

BusinessElectrek

Bentley unveils Torcal, its first EV: 888 PS, 375 miles of range

Bentley's launched its first fully electric car, the Torcal, marking the British luxury brand's shift away from internal combustion engines. The vehicle produces 888 horsepower, can travel 375 miles on a single charge, and will be built at Bentley's factory in Crewe, England, starting in 2028. The company's fitted it with synthetic engine sounds—a deliberate nod to the distinctive growl that's defined Bentley's identity for over a century. This move reflects a broader industry pivot toward electrification among premium automakers, though Bentley's choice to recreate its signature acoustic character suggests the brand isn't entirely abandoning what customers have come to expect. Production begins next year.

Read the story Electrek ↗

BusinessFox Business

McDonald’s to spend $8.5B on revamping restaurants, tech and franchise support

McDonald's is committing eight and a half billion dollars over the next five years to overhaul its restaurants and support its franchise network. First, the company's investing heavily in physical upgrades and kitchen technology, including hand-breaded chicken offerings designed to compete directly with rivals like Popeyes and KFC, particularly as younger customers gravitate toward fried chicken options. Then there's the push into artificial intelligence—McDonald's is rolling out AI-powered drive-through systems and digital ordering tools meant to speed service and reduce labor costs. And finally, the chain's directing substantial funding toward its franchisees themselves, helping them finance renovations and adopt new equipment, which addresses long-standing tension between corporate and franchise operators over who bears modernization costs. The investment signals McDonald's recognition that its aging restaurant footprint and limited menu innovation have become competitive vulnerabilities.

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BusinessFinancial Times

Geely unveils sub-5 minute EV charging as battery race revs up

Chinese automaker Geely has developed an electric vehicle charging system capable of delivering a full charge in under five minutes, using a 2.2-megawatt charger integrated with artificial intelligence software. The technology represents a significant acceleration in the competitive push among Chinese EV manufacturers to reduce charging time as a key selling point. Geely's system uses AI to optimize power delivery and battery management in real time, allowing it to charge vehicles faster than conventional fast-charging infrastructure. This move directly challenges BYD, which has been leading the charge in ultrafast charging capabilities. The company plans to begin deploying the technology at select charging stations in China over the coming months, with expansion to other markets to follow.

Read the story Financial Times ↗

BusinessCNBC

Nearly 10% of borrowers opted for riskier mortgages last week, as rates soared over 7%

A mortgage broker in a suburban office scrolls through applications, pausing on one marked ARM—adjustable rate mortgage. The client chose the gamble. Rates had climbed past seven percent. Last week, nearly one in ten borrowers did the same thing. The thirty-year fixed mortgage hit seven-point-one-two percent, the highest in more than two years, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. As conventional loans became more expensive, some households shifted toward adjustable-rate mortgages, where initial payments are lower but reset after a fixed period, exposing them to future rate increases. The detail worth noting: adjustable-rate mortgages had largely disappeared from the market after the financial crisis. Their reappearance now suggests borrowers are running out of conventional options. Mortgage rates face several obstacles before they decline to six percent again.

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BusinessInvesting

Asia stocks struggle for direction ahead of Trump-Xi meeting; China shares down

Asian stock markets have been caught between competing signals for weeks now—uncertainty over U.S.-China trade tensions, mixed corporate earnings, and the usual seasonal churn of capital flows. Investors have been waiting for clarity from the top. That's shifting this week. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are set to meet, and ahead of the talks, Asian markets are showing their nerves. Chinese shares have fallen, while other regional indexes are treading water, unsure whether to price in a deal or braced for escalation. Treasury yields have eased and oil's retreated slightly, suggesting some investors are hedging their bets. The meeting itself hasn't happened yet, but the market's already begun its calculation—weighing the possibility of détente against the risk that talks collapse. What emerges from that conversation will likely set the tone for regional equities through the quarter.

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BusinessBloomberg

Alibaba Unveils AI Chip to Drive Global Data Center Buildout - Bloomberg.com

Alibaba's unveiled a new artificial intelligence chip it's designed to power a significant expansion of data centers across China and beyond. The company's positioning this accelerator as a direct competitor to Nvidia's offerings, which have dominated the market for AI workloads. First, the chip represents Alibaba's effort to reduce dependence on foreign semiconductor technology—a strategic priority for Chinese tech companies facing export restrictions. Then there's the infrastructure angle: Alibaba's signaling it'll invest heavily in data center capacity over the coming years, betting that demand for AI computing will only grow. And finally, the move reflects a broader pattern of Chinese tech giants building their own chips rather than relying entirely on external suppliers. Whether Alibaba can meaningfully challenge Nvidia's entrenched position remains an open question, though the scale of China's data center ambitions suggests the company's serious about trying.

Read the story Bloomberg ↗

BusinessYahoo Finance UK

President Trump’s money managers made more than 1,100 trades in July

A portfolio manager sits before multiple screens, executing orders in rapid succession. Sell. Buy. Rebalance. The cursor moves across positions held in trust, each transaction logged and recorded. This is the routine work of the investment team managing President Trump's assets while he serves in office. In July alone, they completed more than eleven hundred trades across his holdings. The activity reflects standard portfolio management—rebalancing positions, adjusting for market conditions, capturing tax-loss opportunities. Nothing unusual in the mechanics. What's worth noting: the sheer volume suggests an actively managed approach rather than a passive hold. Most presidents place assets in blind trusts specifically to avoid the appearance of financial distraction. Trump's team, by contrast, remains engaged and responsive to market movement. The portfolio continues its work. Markets shift. Positions adjust. The machinery of wealth management turns on, indifferent to the office its owner holds.

Read the story Yahoo Finance UK ↗

Businesscnbc

Royal Caribbean nears $3 billion deal to take 50% equity stake in Sandals

Sandals Resorts has long been a privately held Caribbean hotel chain, family-owned and operating across multiple islands without the scale or capital of its publicly traded cruise competitors. Royal Caribbean, the world's second-largest cruise operator, has been exploring ways to deepen its resort footprint beyond ships. That's shifting now. Royal Caribbean is nearing a deal to acquire a fifty percent stake in Sandals for roughly three billion dollars, valuing the entire resort group at more than six billion. The investment would give the cruise company significant influence over Sandals' operations and expansion, while keeping the family's ownership intact. The deal is expected to close within months, pending final approvals. For Royal Caribbean, it's a way to capture more of the vacation dollar by controlling both the journey and the destination.

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BusinessMarketWatch

Stock Market Today: Dow falls 150 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq edge higher after best day in nearly 2 months; oil prices fall for fourth day

U.S. stock markets delivered a mixed close today, with the Dow sliding 150 points while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both edged into positive territory. This came after yesterday's best trading day in nearly two months, suggesting traders are taking some profits off the table. The Nasdaq climbed to a fresh all-time high, though gains were tempered by weakness in financial stocks that offset strength in technology. Meanwhile, oil prices fell for the fourth consecutive day, a shift that's typically welcomed by markets but also reflects broader concerns about global demand. Traders continue monitoring Middle East tensions, which have influenced market direction throughout the week.

Read the story MarketWatch ↗

BusinessArs Technica

Microsoft disrupts AI-assisted platform that compromised 12,000

For months, cybercriminals have been using artificial intelligence to automate device-code phishing attacks—a technique that tricks people into approving login requests they didn't make. The attacks were effective and scaled easily, compromising thousands of email accounts across multiple organizations. That changed this week. Microsoft disrupted a platform called EvilTokens, which orchestrated these AI-powered phishing campaigns. The service had compromised at least twelve thousand inboxes by automating the creation and delivery of fake authentication prompts. What made it particularly effective was its use of machine learning to personalize messages and time attacks when targets were most likely to approve them. The takedown involved coordination across Microsoft's security teams and law enforcement. The disruption removes one operational tool from cybercriminals' hands, though experts note similar services will likely emerge.

Read the story Ars Technica ↗

BusinessNBC News

Oil erases losses after Trump says Iran war could be settled after midterms

In trading floors across lower Manhattan, screens flickered green as crude futures climbed back from their lows. The reversal came quietly, without fanfare—a shift in tone rather than a shock. Oil had spent days sliding downward as supply concerns eased. But a comment from Donald Trump suggesting potential resolution of Iran tensions after the midterm elections steadied the market. Brent crude, which had dipped below a hundred dollars a barrel, recovered ground by afternoon. Saudi Arabia's restart of its East-West pipeline—a critical route that'd been offline—also signaled relief on the supply side. What's worth noting: the pipeline restart itself wasn't announced formally. It emerged through sources, a quiet reopening rather than a headline moment. Markets responded anyway, reading stability into the move. For now, oil traders are watching the calendar and the rhetoric both.

Read the story NBC News ↗

Business6abc Philadelphia

Travel delays linger after equipment outages force ground stops at Northeast airports, including PHL

For weeks, Northeast airports have been running normally, with no major disruptions to air traffic flow. That changed this week when equipment failures cascaded across the region's busiest hubs. A cable-cutting incident damaged critical air traffic control infrastructure, forcing ground stops at Philadelphia International, Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK. The outages triggered thousands of flight cancellations and diversions—some international flights were rerouted as far as Syracuse. While operations resumed by day's end, delays persisted well into the following days as the system worked through the backlog. Controllers are investigating how the cables were damaged and what safeguards failed to prevent the disruption.

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BusinessCNBC

CNBC Daily Open: AI trade goes Meta after Muse launch

Meta's stock climbed eleven percent in a single trading session after the company unveiled Muse, an artificial intelligence agent designed to handle routine tasks. The jump came alongside a price target increase from analysts, who see the new tool as evidence that Meta's artificial intelligence strategy is moving beyond research into products customers will actually use. Muse can automate workflows across email, calendar, and document management—the kind of everyday work that typically consumes hours of an employee's day. The enthusiasm rippled beyond Meta itself. Chip manufacturers, particularly Korean semiconductor firms, gained ground on the expectation that deploying AI agents at scale would require significant new computing power. It's a reminder that in the AI trade, the real gains often flow to the companies building the infrastructure, not just the ones building the applications. Meta's bump may cool. The chips, investors seem to think, have longer to run.

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BusinessThe New York Times

China’s Continued Control of Rare Earths Looms Over Trump-Xi Meeting

In a warehouse somewhere along China's coast, rare-earth minerals sit sorted and ready—elements with names most people will never learn, but which power everything from fighter jets to smartphone screens. Those minerals are about to matter more than usual. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are meeting this week, and China controls roughly seventy percent of the world's rare-earth processing. It's not a negotiating chip Trump can simply ignore. The US military depends on these materials. So do manufacturers across Europe and Japan. China's already begun tightening exports—a quiet pressure applied before the talks even start. What's less obvious is that Trump's own trade strategy may have already shifted because of it. Rare earths aren't glamorous, but they're leverage. And leverage, in these meetings, changes everything that gets said in the room.

Read the story The New York Times ↗

BusinessFinancial Times

SoftBank’s $50bn data centre group slows IPO

SoftBank's data centre division, known as SB Energy, has been preparing for a public listing that could value the company at around fifty billion dollars. The plan reflected confidence in the booming demand for infrastructure to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing. That confidence is wavering. Investor appetite for data centre IPOs has cooled considerably in recent weeks, and SB Energy's own ties to OpenAI—through SoftBank's existing stakes—have added complexity to how the company presents its growth story to the market. The slowdown doesn't mean the listing is off; it means SoftBank is recalibrating timing and perhaps valuation expectations. The broader skepticism about data centre valuations suggests the company will need to make a more measured case for why it deserves premium pricing than it might have three months ago.

Read the story Financial Times ↗

BusinessCNBC

Eli Lilly CEO tells CNBC one-third of new GLP-1 pill patients are taking Foundayo, as drugmaker ramps up production

Eli Lilly's CEO says one-third of patients starting a GLP-1 pill are choosing Foundayo. That's the company's oral version of tirzepatide, a drug that's become central to the weight-loss market over the past two years. The company's ramping up production significantly. They're breaking ground on a six-point-five-billion-dollar manufacturing facility in Houston, expected to open in 2030. The detail worth noting: they're already capturing a third of new oral GLP-1 patients, and they haven't yet entered most international markets. That's where the CEO sees the next wave of growth. Competition in weight loss is intensifying, but Eli Lilly's positioned itself early in the pill segment. The question now is whether they can keep that market share as rivals bring their own oral versions to market.

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BusinessFox Business

FAA grounds flights at major Northeast airports after fiber line cut

For months, the Northeast's major airports have operated on a tight schedule, with thousands of flights daily moving through Philadelphia, Newark, and New York airspace. The system depends on reliable communications between ground control and aircraft. That changed this morning. A construction crew cut a Verizon fiber line serving FAA equipment in the region, knocking out critical data links. The Federal Aviation Administration issued ground stops at Philadelphia International and Newark, halting departures and cascading delays across New York's airports. The outage affected thousands of flights. Verizon crews worked to restore the cable, but the disruption lasted hours, leaving passengers stranded and airlines scrambling to rebook. The FAA's backup systems kept planes already in the air safe. Service gradually resumed as communications were restored.

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BusinessThe Motley Fool

Why Meta Platforms Stock Skyrocketed Today

Meta's stock rose sharply today after analysts raised their price targets, citing progress in the company's artificial intelligence monetization strategy. The stock climbed between ten and twelve percent during trading, adding roughly twenty-five billion dollars to Mark Zuckerberg's personal wealth. Investors are betting that Meta can convert its AI capabilities—particularly in content recommendation and ad targeting—into meaningful revenue growth. The surge in options trading volume suggests retail investors are joining institutions in the bet. Meta's earnings reports over the coming quarters will test whether this confidence is justified, as the company needs to demonstrate that its AI investments are translating into actual profit.

Read the story The Motley Fool ↗

BusinessYahoo Finance

Why AMD Stock Is Rising Fast Today

AMD's stock has reached a trillion-dollar market valuation for the first time, driven by a five-day rally in semiconductor shares. The chip manufacturer's gains reflect broader momentum in the sector, as investors bet on sustained demand for processors powering artificial intelligence systems. AMD now joins a small group of companies—Apple, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco, and Alphabet among them—that have crossed the trillion-dollar threshold. The company's previous record close came just days ago, suggesting the move reflects confidence in its competitive position in AI chips rather than a single catalyst. Semiconductor stocks tend to move together on macro sentiment, so AMD's ascent tracks the sector's overall recovery from earlier weakness this year. Investors will watch whether this valuation holds or whether profit-taking emerges in coming sessions.

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BusinessYahoo Finance

Prediction: Micron Stock Will Go Parabolic After Sept. 30. Here Are 31.6 Trillion Reasons Why

In a semiconductor fabrication plant somewhere in the American Southwest, machines the size of small houses are etching circuits onto silicon wafers, each one destined for a data center or a smartphone. It's routine work, invisible to most people, but the economics underneath have shifted. Memory chip makers are struggling to keep production in line with demand. Micron Technology, one of the world's largest manufacturers, is watching a gap widen between what customers need and what fabs can supply. The global data center market alone is projected to consume 31.6 trillion transistors this year. Analysts at Goldman Sachs have raised their price targets ahead of Micron's earnings report on September 30th, betting that the supply squeeze will translate into margin expansion and higher revenue. The detail worth noting: most forecasts assume supply tightens gradually. This one assumes it's already tight now. For investors, the question is whether the stock's current price reflects that reality.

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BusinessYahoo Finance

Jensen Huang Just Delivered Incredible News for Nvidia Stock Investors

Jensen Huang told investors this week that Nvidia's data center business will keep growing faster than the overall market. The Nvidia chief executive was speaking at the company's earnings call, where he outlined plans for new chip architectures and expanded manufacturing capacity. Data center revenue currently accounts for more than eighty percent of Nvidia's total sales, so growth there directly shapes the company's trajectory. The practical effect: investors are pricing in sustained demand for AI chips, at least through next year. But that assumes the companies buying these processors—cloud providers, tech giants, enterprises—continue spending at current rates. Huang's confidence rests on that assumption holding. Whether it does remains the real question beneath the optimism.

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BusinessBloomberg

AI Risk Is Everywhere and It's Making Billion Dollar Funds Nervous

Large institutional investors are quietly moving money out of artificial intelligence stocks, worried the sector's valuations have gotten ahead of reality. Pension funds and sovereign wealth managers controlling hundreds of billions of dollars are now asking a question that seemed unthinkable two years ago: how do we reduce our exposure here. The concern isn't that AI itself will fail. It's that the companies building it have become so expensive relative to their actual earnings that a correction looks inevitable. Some funds are rebalancing portfolios away from the concentrated bets they made when the AI boom felt unstoppable. For ordinary retirement savers, the practical effect is real. If these institutions sell in size, it'll ripple through the broader market, affecting 401-k balances and pension payouts. The question now isn't whether AI matters. It's whether we've already priced in too much of tomorrow.

Read the story Bloomberg ↗

BusinessWSJ

A Shortage of Oil Tankers Is Threatening to Keep Gas Prices High

Oil tanker capacity is tightening globally as shipping routes shift and demand outpaces supply. First, the immediate pressure: rates for very large crude carriers—the workhorses that move roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil—have climbed to around a million dollars per day in some cases, a level last seen during the 2022 energy crisis. Then there's the geography. Tensions in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz have forced some shipowners to reroute around Africa, adding weeks to journeys and pulling vessels out of circulation. And finally, the lag in new construction: while shipyards are seeing a spike in tanker orders, those ships won't enter service for years, leaving the current fleet stretched thin. This supply crunch is feeding directly into fuel costs at the pump, with no quick relief in sight.

Read the story WSJ ↗