Strong third-quarter GDP growth and robust holiday consumer spending signal economic resilience, despite rising consumer debt and mounting affordability challenges for many Americans.

• US economy grew at 4.3% rate in third quarter — Financial Times -
• FirstFT: Panama Canal ports deal hits impasse after China’s Cosco demands majority stake — Financial Times -
• How Much More Can the U.S. Travel Industry Take? — The New York Times Business -

• Shoppers Spent Big This Holiday Season, Despite Economic Pressures — The New York Times Business -
• U.S. GDP Grew 4.3%, Surging in Third Quarter of 2025 — The New York Times Business -
• The Weird and Wonderful Consumer Trends Steering Brands Into 2026 — Wall Street Journal -
• More Shoppers Are Buying Secondhand Gifts This Holiday Season — Wall Street Journal -
• US economy hotter than expected in third quarter — Financial Times -
• Car Payments Now Average More Than $750 a Month. Enter the 100-Month Car Loan. — Wall Street Journal -
• FirstFT: AI debt boom pushes US corporate bond sales close to record — Financial Times -
• Private credit firms pile into consumer debt as risk-taking mounts — Financial Times -
• The Economy Survived 2025, But Many Americans Are Reeling — The New York Times Business -

Massive AI investments by tech giants like ByteDance, strategic cybersecurity acquisitions by ServiceNow, and ongoing debates about AI's impact on employment and market valuation highlight the sector's rapid evolution, even as China delays self-driving car rollout due to safety concerns.

• FirstFT: Panama Canal ports deal hits impasse after China’s Cosco demands majority stake — Financial Times -
• ServiceNow to Acquire Cybersecurity Startup Armis for About $7.75 Billion — Wall Street Journal -
• Why the A.I. Rally (and the Bubble Talk) Could Continue Next Year — The New York Times Business -

• Layoffs Expected as Marketers Face Pressure Over AI Savings, Survey Finds — Wall Street Journal -
• FirstFT: AI debt boom pushes US corporate bond sales close to record — Financial Times -
• AI debt boom pushes US corporate bond sales close to record — Financial Times -
• America’s risky bet on hydrocarbons might hurt it in the AI race — Financial Times -
• China Delays Plans for Mass Production of Self-Driving Cars After Accident — The New York Times Business -
• TikTok’s Chinese owner plans $23bn AI spend to keep pace with US rivals — Financial Times -

Trump administration policies halting offshore wind projects and increasing defense spending, alongside global developments like India's economic reforms and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, underscore a complex international landscape.

• Opinion | Democrats Shout Into the Wind — Wall Street Journal -
• Modi turns his focus to reforming India’s economy — Financial Times -
• Trump administration accuses China of unfair chip trade practices — Financial Times -

• Israel’s defence minister pledges to resettle northern Gaza — Financial Times -
• Russia launches massive drone attack on Ukraine before winter holidays — Financial Times -
• ‘We have to have’ Greenland, says Trump — Financial Times -
• Schooling joins casualties of Gaza war — Financial Times -
• Trump Administration Halts All Offshore Wind Projects — Wall Street Journal -
• Trump Targets Defense Firms on Weapons Speed, Stock Buybacks — Wall Street Journal -
• Donald Trump announces ‘Trump-class’ battleships for US Navy’s ‘Golden Fleet’ — Financial Times -

General Motors facing a probe over an air bag rupture, CBS News experiencing internal turmoil over a pulled '60 Minutes' segment, private equity struggling to divest investments, and Ryanair receiving a substantial fine in Italy reflect significant corporate challenges and industry shifts.

• Pulled ’60 Minutes’ Report, Briefly Streamed in Canada, Is All Over the Internet Now — The New York Times Business -
• U.S. and General Motors Probing Rupture of Air Bag in Crash of Recalled Pickup — Wall Street Journal -
• Robert Mnuchin, Stock Trader Turned Art Dealer, Dies at 92 — The New York Times Business -

• Epstein appointed Staley and Summers as executors of his will — Financial Times -
• Private Equity, Saddled With Investments It Can’t Sell, Loses Its Luster — The New York Times Business -
• Ryanair fined €256mn in Italy for ‘abusive strategy’ against online travel agents — Financial Times -
• Small Nebraska Town Is Reeling From Exit of Meatpacking Giant Tyson — Wall Street Journal -
• Italy Competition Authority Fines Ryanair Over Travel Agencies’ Bookings — Wall Street Journal -
• Pill Version of Wegovy Is Approved for Use in the U.S. — Wall Street Journal -
• Samsung to Acquire ZF Friedrichshafen’s ADAS Unit for Nearly $1.8 Billion — Wall Street Journal -
• China’s BYD Logs Another Month of Strong Sales Growth in Europe — Wall Street Journal -
• Ares Management chief eyes private equity as group’s next target — Financial Times -
• Align on design to stay afloat, Europe’s largest shipbuilder says — Financial Times -
• Inside Bari Weiss’s Decision to Pull a ‘60 Minutes’ Segment — Wall Street Journal -
• Trump’s First-Term Trust Buster Is Now Working to Get Paramount Its Deal — Wall Street Journal -
• Caviar and foie gras? China is becoming a luxury food powerhouse — Financial Times -
• Turmoil at CBS News After Bari Weiss Pulls a ‘60 Minutes’ Segment — The New York Times Business -

The UK government reversing an inheritance tax decision, copper prices reaching a record high, France passing a budget rollover, and the EU moving to curb cheap plastics imports illustrate diverse regulatory and economic pressures across Europe and global markets.

• UK government forced into climbdown on inheritance tax for farmers — Financial Times -
• Copper price hits record high on concerns over tariffs and shortages — Financial Times -
• France approves budget rollover to avoid US-style shutdown — Financial Times -

• EU moves against cheap plastics imports as recycling plants shut — Financial Times -
• The ECB is on hold for an extended period — Financial Times -
• The good, the bad and the ugly of Britain’s labour market reforms — Financial Times -
• Whisky galore: Trump’s tariffs and cost of living create glut of undrunk Scotch — Financial Times -
• House prices fall in half of London boroughs — Financial Times -
• Russia’s wage growth slows as wartime economy cools — Financial Times -

Concerns about student loan garnishment in early 2026, discussions on identity politics and conspiracy theories, the persistent influence of YouTube on media consumption, and challenges faced by Labour MPs on social media reflect a blend of societal anxieties and contemporary cultural trends.

• Opinion | Identity Politics: My Professional Look-Alikes — Wall Street Journal -
• Opinion | 2025’s Conspiracies and Theories — Wall Street Journal -
• Student Loan Borrowers in Default Could See Wages Garnished in Early 2026 — The New York Times Business -

• YouTube Has a Firm Grip on Daytime TV — The New York Times Business -
• The year in review (part two) — Financial Times -
• ‘A stream of negativity and abuse’: why are Labour MPs still sticking with X? — Financial Times -
• Dynastic Jewels combines stunning stones with compelling stories — Financial Times -
• Hats off! — Financial Times -
• The prison island where Turkey locked its past — Financial Times -
• I’m Worried About Toxic Fumes on My Upcoming Flight—What Can I Do? — Wall Street Journal -
• More H-1B visa chaos — Financial Times -