Strait of Hormuz chaos has incentivized China to use an alternative trade route: a 3,400 mile frozen Arctic channel dubbed the ‘Ice Silk Road’

The ongoing trade disruptions from the Iran war have enabled China to gain a trade edge, but it requires shipping vessels to brave the Arctic.

Nelson Peltz might take Wendy’s private following six straight quarterly sales declines as customers flee its poor franchise models and bad marketing

Wendy’s, the burger chain that asked “Where’s the beef?” and brought the Baconator to burger lovers worldwide, is getting grilled in its returns. The chain, which boasts a market cap of $1.62 billion, is losing customers, closing down stores, and seeing consecutive declining sales—so much so that billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz may be preparing to take Wendy’s private as it struggles to get customers through the door.

Guide to Mortgage Preapproval

Mortgage preapproval can benefit you in multiple ways, from helping you to understand your purchasing power to showing sellers that you’re a serious buyer.

With the national debt nearing $40 trillion, Bank of America has a warning for bond investors

The U.S. national debt is hurtling toward $40 trillion, and Bank of America Research strategist Michael Hartnett’s “Anything but Bonds” framework is becoming ever more applicable. Boiled down, Hartnett warns the U.S. is accumulating too much debt, which causes the government to issue too many bonds. Investors want compensation for the fiscal risk, making long-duration Treasuries unattractive compared to other assets. Here’s why the climbing debt makes the advice worth a listen.

US-China trade tensions could be a challenge for AI-powered sourcing software

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce added seven US companies, including Altana, to its countermeasures list amid US-China trade tensions.

Land O'Lakes wants in on the protein boom

It’s not just Khloé Kardashian trying to figure out protein. So are all the food giants—including some brands consumers probably aren’t thinking of as protein-forward just yet.

Government borrowing costs hit multi-decade highs

Fears over inflation and AI issuance spur bond sell-off, weighing on stocks

Reed Hastings says he learned why companies aren’t families after laying off one-third of Netflix: ‘You would never lay off two of your kids’

Long before becoming a Hollywood mainstay with a market cap of over $315 billion, Netflix was struggling to stay afloat. After the dotcom bust, the then DVD rental company was forced to make its first major round of layoffs in 2001, cutting roughly one-third of its workforce.

Home Depot rides America's housing affordability problem to sales increase on home DIY projects

Home Depot’s sales improved during its second quarter as customers focused on smaller projects during the summer months with the U.S. housing sector still mired in a slump.

The most in-demand skill of 2026 isn’t AI—it’s finance

Good morning. Finance skills are topping the list of what companies need most as AI takes center stage.

Forget the bond rout, fund managers are in party mode

Ain’t no party like a capex party, because apparently a capex party don’t stop

Current price of oil as of Aug. 18, 2026

As of 6:45 a.m. Eastern Time today, oil is trading at $92.42 per barrel, based on the Brent benchmark we’ll explain in a bit. That’s 89 cents above yesterday morning’s level and $25.68 higher than where it stood a year ago.