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Kevin Richardson/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

UK retail conglomerate acquires minority stake in Under Armour

Business / Business News /

A U.K. retail conglomerate founded by British billionaire Michael Ashley has become a significant investor in Baltimore-based Under Armour.

Frasers Group, the parent company of Sports Direct stores and other sports and luxury retail brands, acquired an 8.8% stake in Under Armour, according to an Oct. 1 filing with the U.S. Securities and ...Read more

C.H. Robinson to buy rival for $5.8 billion

Business / Business News /

C.H. Robinson, already one of the world’s largest third-party logistics companies, is buying rival freight broker RXO in a deal valued at nearly $6 billion.

The Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based company said it plans to bring its artificial intelligence tools and cost-cutting approach to RXO, with the goal of handling more shipments more ...Read more

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS

State Farm raising Illinois homeowners insurance rates by 8%

Business / Business News /

It may not cause the sticker shock of last year’s whopping increase, but State Farm is set to raise homeowners insurance rates in Illinois by another nearly 8% this fall, according to a recent filing with the state.

The increase went into effect for new policies on October 1, while current customers will see the higher rates beginning in ...Read more

Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS

Florida gas prices drop by double digits

Business / Business News /

You’re not seeing things — Florida’s gas prices dropped over 35 cents in the last 10 days, although they remain above $4 a gallon.

On Monday, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $4.06, according to AAA.

The national average remained above that, at $4.37.

The decline is saving drivers roughly $5 to $7 per fill-up ...Read more

Heather Diehl/Getty Images North America/TNS

Warren, Hawley press insurers over closed, unpaid claims

Business / Business News /

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley are questioning six insurers, including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and Allstate Corp., over concerns about a growing number of claims that are closed without payment to policyholders.

Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Hawley, a Missouri Republican, wrote letters to State Farm, ...Read more

Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS

S&P 500 closes in on record high as tech rallies: Markets wrap

Business / Business News /

A rally in giant technology companies drove stocks higher, overshadowing concerns about still-elevated oil prices and bond yields.

The S&P 500 rose to a striking distance of a record while the Nasdaq 100 reached a fresh peak. Political upheaval in Europe and fiscal worries drove the euro to its weakest since May 2025. Longer-dated Treasury ...Read more

Anthony Souffle/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

Cargill's earnings slump 52% with high cattle costs, cocoa loss

Business / Business News /

Cargill Inc.’s fiscal first-quarter earnings fell by more than half as the largest private company in the U.S. was pressured by higher costs for cattle and cocoa despite also benefiting from stronger results in soybeans.

For the quarter ended Aug. 31, Cargill had net income of $927 million, down from $1.94 billion a year ago, according to ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mortgage rate forecast: October 2026

Business / Business News /

Mortgage rates surged in September, and they’ve reached their highest point since May 2024. The run-up in rates has left many consumers feeling less than eager to dive into the housing market.

The war in Iran sent oil prices soaring in recent months. Higher energy prices translate to both higher inflation and rising 10-year Treasury yields. ...Read more

Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times/TNS

Amazon's $1B data center pledge underscores rising tension over AI build-out

Business / Business News /

As tech giants navigate the backlash over massive data-center expansions, Amazon is responding with a financial commitment of $1 billion for communities where the facilities are located.

The company is also pushing back against data-center critics and arguing the build-out must continue or the U.S. will risk falling behind in the AI race.

...Read more

Los Angeles Times illustration;/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Should California hotels be sued for using fragrances in their lobbies?

Business / Business News /

Take a deep breath in Hollywood's Kimpton Everly Hotel and you may catch a whiff of sandalwood, leather, fennel, cardamom, violet and cedar.

And if you sniff the lobby of downtown Los Angeles' Ritz-Carlton, you may detect "bright effervescent notes ... layered with soft florals," a custom fragrance known as Champagne & Shimmer.

For years now, ...Read more

Noam Galai/Getty Images North America/TNS

David Ellison names Skydance team that includes prominent Warner executives

Business / Business News /

Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison has rolled out his Skydance executive team, which includes several senior Warner Bros. executives who will segue into new roles at the soon-to-be merged Skydance media company.

HBO Chairman Casey Bloys, CNN Chairman Mark Thompson, Discovery streaming executive J.B. Perrette and DC Comics managers...Read more

Chuck Myers/TNS/TNS

New hazard for Treasuries hides in bond futures' fine print

Business / Business News /

Look to the fine print of Treasury futures for the next big jump in bond yields.

As U.S. 30-year securities head ever closer toward 6%, the move threatens a shakeup in futures, which are widely used by investors to hedge government bond positions, and by leveraged funds in strategies such as the popular “basis trade.”

It has to do with ...Read more

Henry Payne/The Detroit News/TNS

Ford, GM, Stellantis lag foreign rivals as hybrids make gains in Q3

Business / Business News /

The auto industry is weathering the economic headwinds of inflation and high gas prices, but the best performance is coming from outside Detroit.

Foreign brands with more hybrid-heavy lineups made gains, according to sales reports from across the U.S. auto sector detailed this week. Meanwhile, each of the Detroit Three automakers saw sales ...Read more

Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times/TNS

Boeing 737 Max software glitch not a safety risk, FAA says

Business / Business News /

A software glitch that impacts automated flight controls on some Boeing 737 Max aircraft does not present a safety risk, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.

The regulator convened a group of safety experts, known as a Corrective Action Review Board, this week to determine if the software issue created an unsafe workload for pilots ...Read more

Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images North America/TNS

DOJ not reopening criminal probe into Powell, Blanche says

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The U.S. Justice Department isn’t reopening a criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for cost overruns related to the central bank’s building renovation project.

Attorney General Todd Blanche didn’t rule out continuing to look into the project’s oversight and potentially take action if evidence of ...Read more

Qualcomm/Qualcomm/TNS

Qualcomm inked a surprise Apple deal and announced the future of personal AI

Business / Business News /

Qualcomm had a lot to talk about last week.

Beyond debuting new silicon designed to run AI processing on smartphones, glasses and earbuds, the San Diego semiconductor giant ended the event on Sept. 24 with a major update: a one-line statement confirming it extended its licensing agreement with Apple starting April 1, 2027 — the same day the ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Ford sales drop 6.6% in Q3, roughly even when accounting for phaseouts

Business / Business News /

Ford Motor Co. sales totaled 509,764 in the third quarter, a year-over-year decrease of 6.6% and a continuation of declines from the first half of 2026.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker again projected confidence despite the decrease, noting that total vehicle sales volume was "essentially unchanged" for the quarter when adjusting for the...Read more

Rokas Tenys/Dreamstime/TNS

California's economic growth expected to continue, but slowly and with few jobs gains

Business / Business News /

Boosted by investments in AI, a revitalized aerospace industry and a growing U.S. defense budget, California's economic growth is expected to continue outpacing the nation, according to a forecast from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

However, tariffs, deportations and high energy prices are likely to somewhat slow growth, though it ...Read more

Andrej Sokolow/dpa via ZUMA Press/TNS

Michael Hiltzik: Sure, use Meta's Muse bot to help with your chores -- if you want Mark Zuckerberg to know all your secrets

Business / Business News /

If Silicon Valley has perfected any business model, it's the one in which it cooks up a new technology and then persuades people they can't live without it. The newest example is Meta Platforms' personal artificial intelligence agent, Muse.

Something in Meta's pitch for Muse, which is represented as a furry version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow ...Read more

Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Paramount, Warner Bros. will be named Skydance after merger

Business / Business News /

David Ellison said the merged Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will be called Skydance — the moniker he picked nearly two decades ago when the tech scion began building his Hollywood empire.

Ellison, currently the chairman and chief executive of Paramount, is aiming to finalize the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Tuesday. Then ...Read more