Molson Coors' falling profits and Wingstop's comparable sales decline indicate some consumer weakness, while Booking's rising sales and Carvana's record car sales show growth, as eBay's acquisition of Depop and Steel Dynamics' increased takeover bid for BlueScope Steel highlight significant M&A activity across various sectors.

• Molson Coors Profit, Sales Fall as Beer Demand Remains Soft — Wall Street Journal -
• EBay to Buy Depop From Etsy for $1.2 Billion — Wall Street Journal -
• Carvana Shares Slide Despite Record Car Sales — Wall Street Journal -

• Booking Sales, Profit Rise as More Travelers Make Reservations — Wall Street Journal -
• DoorDash Expects Ramped Up Spending to Dent First Quarter — Wall Street Journal -
• Etsy Sells Depop, a Secondhand Clothing App Popular With Gen Z, to eBay — The New York Times Business -
• New York Knicks owner explores split of basketball and ice hockey franchises — Financial Times -
• MSG Sports Explores Separating Knicks, Rangers — Wall Street Journal -
• Glencore Earnings Fall Despite Record Metal Trading Performance — Wall Street Journal -
• Jean Paul Gaultier Owner Puig Warns of Slowing Fragrance Market After Strong End to 2025 — Wall Street Journal -
• Wingstop Comparable Sales Fall Amid Consumer Weakness — Wall Street Journal -
• Moody’s Posts Higher Profit, Revenue — Wall Street Journal -
• IMCD Shares Plunge After Dividend Cut, Revenue Fall — Wall Street Journal -
• Mediobanca board backs Monte dei Paschi merger and Milan delisting — Financial Times -
• BAE Systems Posts Sales Record as Europe Rearms — Wall Street Journal -
• Naturgy Profit Rises on Higher Energy Demand, Pricing — Wall Street Journal -
• Carrefour Aims to Boost Tech, Focus on Key Regions — Wall Street Journal -
• Hollywood’s $108bn cliffhanger — Financial Times -
• Blackstone, EQT and CVC make offers for Volkswagen unit — Financial Times -
• Steel Dynamics, SGH Raise BlueScope Steel Takeover Bid to $11 Billion — Wall Street Journal -
• La-Z-Boy Expects Adverse Weather to Hurt Current Quarter Results — Wall Street Journal -

Federal Reserve minutes reveal no rush for rate cuts and caution on inflation, as the **UK's inflation rate sharply fell to 3% in January, impacting European Central Bank succession discussions and intensifying the Japanese government bond market**.

• The Sleepy Market for Japanese Government Bonds Is Now a ‘Battlefield’ — The New York Times Business -
• Fed minutes indicate push for more neutral language on rates — Financial Times -
• Fed Minutes Show No Rush to Restart Rate Cuts — The New York Times Business -

• Fed officials warn progress towards inflation goal will be ‘uneven’ — Financial Times -
• UK inflation falls sharply to 3% in January — Financial Times -
• Spain first to enter race for Lagarde succession at ECB — Financial Times -
• January inflation data sets UK on the path to hit target in April — Financial Times -
• Lagarde to leave ECB before end of 8-year term — Financial Times -
• Flipping out over the latest attempt to change sovereign bond contracts — Financial Times -
• Why is the UK falling back in love with credit cards? — Financial Times -

A dispute between the Defense Department and Anthropic over A.I. safety underscores emerging concerns, even as **Elon Musk's xAI secures a $3 billion Saudi investment, yet the market for selling AI software faces new challenges, prompting concerns about AI-driven job displacement**.

• Defense Department and Anthropic Square Off in Dispute Over A.I. Safety — The New York Times Business -
• Tech, Media & Telecom Roundup: Market Talk — Wall Street Journal -
• Zuckerberg battles claims Meta tried to maximise time teens spent on social media — Financial Times -

• What Do A.I. Chatbots Discuss Among Themselves? We Sent One to Find Out. — The New York Times Business -
• Saudi Arabia’s AI venture Humain invests $3bn in Elon Musk’s xAI — Financial Times -
• Trump’s AI push fuels revolt in Maga heartlands — Financial Times -
• Elon Musk’s xAI Gets $3 Billion Investment From Saudi-Backed A.I. Firm — The New York Times Business -
• Selling AI Software Isn’t as Easy as It Used to Be — Wall Street Journal -
• The software sell-off, part II — Financial Times -
• Dexus’s Properties Likely Resilient to Any AI-Driven Job Cuts — Wall Street Journal -

The US Navy's unprecedented move to hire a private firm for shipbuilding oversight and the FDA's reversal on Moderna's flu vaccine trial review mark key policy shifts, while a decline in OSHA workplace inspections raises labor concerns, and UK ministers consider slowing a minimum wage increase amid broader public finance debates.

• In First Since WWII, Navy to Hire Company to Oversee Shipbuilding Project — Wall Street Journal -
• Workplace Inspections by OSHA Dropped Over a Six-Month Period of 2025 — The New York Times Business -
• Trump administration reverses move to block Moderna flu vaccine trial — Financial Times -

• Donald J. Trump International Airport? The President’s Company Trademarked It. — The New York Times Business -
• F.D.A. Reverses Decision and Agrees to Review Moderna’s Flu Vaccine — The New York Times Business -
• Edison Will Reduce Executive Bonuses as a Result of the Eaton Fire — The New York Times Business -
• Opinion | EPA May Correct a Supreme Court Error — Wall Street Journal -
• Trump adviser says NY Fed economists should be ‘disciplined’ for study on tariffs — Financial Times -
• Ministers look at slowing plan to increase minimum wage for younger UK workers — Financial Times -
• FCC Overhauls $2.9 Billion Lifeline Subsidy Program to Curb Improper Payments — Wall Street Journal -
• From 2001: Rose Freedman, Last Survivor of Triangle Fire, Dies at 107 — The New York Times Business -
• Who pays for the US tariffs? The answer may not surprise you — Financial Times -
• Reform UK would bring back two-child benefit cap, says Jenrick — Financial Times -
• Kentucky Derby Operator Accused of Regulatory ‘Freeloading’ — The New York Times Business -
• Warrington council asks for £354mn from government to avoid bankruptcy — Financial Times -
• UCL students win £21mn over Covid disruption in watershed UK settlement — Financial Times -
• The human cost of Trump’s environmental rollback — Financial Times -
• You cannot sustain high youth employment while raising hiring costs — Financial Times -
• German drone maker Stark faces political backlash over Peter Thiel links — Financial Times -
• Carmakers to win reprieve in £11bn UK motor finance redress scheme — Financial Times -
• Brain drain is undermining America’s scientific edge — Financial Times -
• European airlines call for scrapping of Qatar deal after top official’s dismissal — Financial Times -
• Gilt investors warn about ‘ruse’ to fund higher UK defence spending — Financial Times -
• If US regulators won’t hold auditors to account, will the courts? — Financial Times -
• Are the UK’s public sector pensions unaffordable? — Financial Times -
• Reform UK pledges to keep fiscal watchdog if it wins power — Financial Times -

The **US and Japan unveiled $36 billion in initial trade projects, signaling strengthening ties, while Trump renewed his critique of the UK's plan to cede Chagos Islands ownership, and Iran and the US reported progress in nuclear talks**, highlighting a complex global landscape of trade and diplomacy.

• FirstFT: US and Japan unveil $36bn in projects as part of trade deal — Financial Times -
• Trump renews attack on Starmer’s plan to cede UK ownership of Chagos Islands — Financial Times -
• Opinion | How to Bust the Sanctions-Evading Ghost Fleets — Wall Street Journal -

• Russia-Ukraine talks yield ‘some progress’ on ceasefire, says Zelenskyy — Financial Times -
• Senegal has a mystery Togolese bond bid — Financial Times -
• Merz says fighter jet project fails to meet Germany’s needs — Financial Times -
• Trump Hails Japan’s First Batch of U.S. Investments — The New York Times Business -
• US and Japan unveil first mega-projects under $550bn deal — Financial Times -
• The private sector elite enjoying steak through Cuba’s crisis — Financial Times -
• Iran and US report ‘progress’ in nuclear talks — Financial Times -

**US natural gas futures tested the $3 level amidst market shifts, as Europe considers energy security a defense priority and debates reforming its carbon tax, while a fossil fuel tycoon partners with the Rockefellers to combat energy poverty, and British beef farmers face climate impacts**.

• Opinion | To Deliver Natural Gas, Build More Pipelines — Wall Street Journal -
• U.S. Natural Gas Futures Test $3 Level — Wall Street Journal -
• Europe should treat energy security as defence policy — Financial Times -

• The Fossil Fuel Tycoon Teaming Up With the Rockefellers to Fight Energy Poverty — Wall Street Journal -
• Europe’s creaking carbon tax is in need of repair — Financial Times -
• US copper problem is processing, not supply, study finds — Financial Times -
• British beef farmers face double hit from changing climate — Financial Times -

Goldman Sachs plans to drop D.E.I. criteria for board members, marking a notable shift, while JPMorgan Chase embarks on a branch expansion, crypto lobbying pushes the Clarity Act, and the prediction-market platform Kalshi faces a legal setback.

• ESG Roundup: Market Talk — Wall Street Journal -
• Opinion | The Trouble With Public Access to Private Markets — Wall Street Journal -
• Financial Services Roundup: Market Talk — Wall Street Journal -

• How Crypto’s Lobbying Muscle May Save the Clarity Act — The New York Times Business -
• JPMorgan Chase plans branch opening spree as peers bet on in-person banking — Financial Times -
• Kalshi Dealt Major Setback in Court Fight to Remain in Nevada — Wall Street Journal -
• Goldman Sachs to Drop D.E.I. Criteria for Board Members — The New York Times Business -

Uber is enhancing EV charger access for its drivers, reflecting sustainability efforts, while US restaurants are downsizing meals in response to health trends and affordability, and a judge clarified that boneless wings are legally considered wings in a consumer case.

• Uber Taking Steps to Expand Number of EV Chargers Near Its Drivers — The New York Times Business -
• Auto & Transport Roundup: Market Talk — Wall Street Journal -
• Carmakers to win reprieve in £11bn UK motor finance redress scheme — Financial Times -

• US restaurants downsize meals to counter anti-obesity drugs and affordability crisis — Financial Times -
• Boneless Wings Are Still Wings, Judge Rules — The New York Times Business -
• A ‘Boneless Wing’ Needn’t Come From Wing Meat, Judge Rules — Wall Street Journal -

Apprenticeships are gaining a boost as a vital skills-based training model, and the historical account of Rose Freedman, a Triangle Fire survivor, underscores the ongoing importance of worker safety initiatives.

• Apprenticeships get a glow up — Financial Times -
• From 2001: Rose Freedman, Last Survivor of Triangle Fire, Dies at 107 — The New York Times Business -