https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/ A take on business from Times Square en-US https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/15/united-airlines-coasts-past-wall-street-estimates-as-jet-fuel-prices-rise/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/15/united-airlines-coasts-past-wall-street-estimates-as-jet-fuel-prices-rise/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Nancy Jiang Delta Air LinesNewsUnited AirlinesCompany InsightsEarnings As jet fuel costs continue to trend up, United and Delta Airlines have strapped in for the long haul, quietly edging out competitors in a downturn. United, which has invested heavily in premium offerings for brand loyalists, has remained steadfast as a trusted brand for high-income flyers but still faces pressures as jet fuel prices… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/robinhood-pushes-stock-trading-toward-a-24-7-future/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/robinhood-pushes-stock-trading-toward-a-24-7-future/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Michael Flowers NewsCompany InsightsStocks Robinhood plans to let customers trade select US stocks and exchange-traded funds 24 hours a day, seven days a week, pushing the brokerage further toward a market where retail investors can react to news whenever it breaks. The company announced the expansion on Sept. 29 at its HOOD Summit ’26 in Houston, where Chief Executive… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/whats-next-for-mcdonalds-franchisees/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/whats-next-for-mcdonalds-franchisees/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Chrissy Wang NewsCompany Insights McDonald’s is making a plan that would require its U.S. franchisees to spend approximately $800,000 per restaurant on upgrades in order to win back customers, and McDonald’s is promising to cover part of the cost. At its Sept. 23 investor day, the company announced McDonald’s Next, a strategy focused on menu, consumer, restaurant and people.… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/unitedhealth-to-reset-insurance-business-as-medicare-leader-takes-the-helm/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/unitedhealth-to-reset-insurance-business-as-medicare-leader-takes-the-helm/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Grace Thomas NewsCompany Insights UnitedHealth Group is reshuffling its leadership as it tries to reverse a downturn in its insurance business and improve profitability. Robert “Bobby” Hunter announced his appointment as UnitedHealthcare president in a September 28 LinkedIn post, an unusual way for one of the nation’s largest companies to publicize a leadership change. Four days earlier, the company… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/coreweave-junk-bonds-financing/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/coreweave-junk-bonds-financing/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Nick Song Company InsightsCoreWeave CoreWeave sold more than $5 billion in convertible and junk bonds in late September to finance its continued spending on building AI infrastructure. Some of that money will go directly to its upcoming billion-dollar data center in Virginia. The bond sales reflect CoreWeave’s aggressive strategy of tapping every available financing method to fund capital expenditures.… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/more-pain-to-come-nike-posts-subpar-revenue-issues-bleak-guidance/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/more-pain-to-come-nike-posts-subpar-revenue-issues-bleak-guidance/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Simon Galkevich Company InsightsEarningsNikeStocks Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) reported weaker-than-expected earnings in its most recent quarter and issued a disappointing outlook for the year, deepening Wall Street’s pessimism on the prospects of the company’s turnaround strategy. Revenue in the fiscal first quarter ended Aug. 31 was $11.2 billion, a decline of 4% from the year prior and slightly below… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/12006/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/12006/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Yulia Almazova NewsCompany Insights IonQ Inc. (NYSE: IONQ) partnered with Sandia National Laboratories to develop technologies and hardware for various national security applications. Together, the quantum computing hardware giant and the national nuclear security laboratory will be designing quantum technologies for the United States military. All work will be conducted at Sandia’s newest quantum-dedicated facility in New Mexico. This… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/bitcoin-miners-pivot-into-ai-landlords/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/bitcoin-miners-pivot-into-ai-landlords/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Michael Flowers NewsStock TrendsCompany InsightsStocks Riot Platforms spent years using enormous amounts of electricity to mine bitcoin. Now it is making the shift toward renting out its power infrastructure to AI companies including Anthropic and chipmaker AMD. Investors have taken notice. As of Sept. 22, Riot shares had gained roughly 86% over the preceding six months, compared with gains of… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/airbnb-boasts-a-new-ai-forward-search-update/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/airbnb-boasts-a-new-ai-forward-search-update/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Celia Bernhardt AirbnbCompany InsightsNews Airbnb is betting that a new AI search experience will help it continue to win over travelers in a move that’s already charmed Wall Street. The changes include an optional, toggle-controlled AI search bar where users can write what they’re looking for in plain English and see results filtered accordingly. The new search tweaks come… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/lyft-just-settled-a-landmark-worker-classification-lawsuit-is-uber-next/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/12/lyft-just-settled-a-landmark-worker-classification-lawsuit-is-uber-next/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Sophie Hayssen Company InsightsNewsUber Uber has been fighting the state of California for six years over a worker misclassification lawsuit. Earlier this month, its closest competitor and co-defendant in the suit settled for an eye-popping amount of $272.5 million. Out of the total settlement, $232 million will be divided among thousands of Lyft drivers who worked between 2016… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/09/fedex-makes-ev-push-as-diesel-prices-soar/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/09/fedex-makes-ev-push-as-diesel-prices-soar/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Cole van Miltenburg NewsCompany Insights FedEx is one step closer to replacing its entire fleet of diesel delivery trucks with electric vehicles. The carrier purchased 2,000 electric trucks from Harbinger Motors for $300 million on Sept. 30. The move is part of FedEx’s long-term goal to adopt an all-electric delivery fleet by 2040. Most commercial delivery vehicles run on diesel,… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/09/berkshire-hathaway-invests-heavily-in-lennar-barely-in-d-r-horton/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/09/berkshire-hathaway-invests-heavily-in-lennar-barely-in-d-r-horton/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Nazeefa Ahmed NewsCompany InsightsStocks The investment in affordable homebuilders signals a long-term bet on housing, despite elevated rates and persistent cost pressures Berkshire Hathaway has built a stake of more than 11% in Lennar. It bought about $400 million of the homebuilder’s stock in the last two weeks of September and kept buying into October. Its most recent position… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/08/nike-dropped-caitlin-clarks-first-signature-shoe-and-its-almost-sold-out/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/08/nike-dropped-caitlin-clarks-first-signature-shoe-and-its-almost-sold-out/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Mahogany Brim NewsCompany Insights Basketball star Caitlin Clark’s first signature Nike sneaker almost sold out the same day of its release. Nike dropped the Caitlin 1s on Oct. 1, selling out all but the largest sizes of the $140 shoe. Clark, who plays for Indiana Fever in the Women’s National Basketball Association, broke records as the NCAA Division I… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/08/chipotle-resurrects-its-margarita-drink-in-halloween-themed-limited-run/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/08/chipotle-resurrects-its-margarita-drink-in-halloween-themed-limited-run/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Stephanie Hong Company InsightsNews Chipotle decided to bring back a popular margarita drink after more than five years as part of a promotional event. The “Summon the Spirits Tour” pop-up event kicked off in Denver on Oct. 2 and is now continuing in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and New Orleans for the next five weekends. “Fans never stopped… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/08/enterprise-ai-rush-is-creating-a-cybersecurity-monopoly/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/08/enterprise-ai-rush-is-creating-a-cybersecurity-monopoly/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Yulia Almazova NewsCompany Insights As corporations channel cybersecurity spending into a handful of platform giants, the rest of the industry is facing extinction. The corporate rush to deploy AI tools has exposed significant security risks that come with autonomous agents. Cybersecurity giants’ stocks are at an all-time high as the big players consolidate the entire market between themselves… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/08/ai-has-yet-to-make-money-for-the-music-industry-and-it-may-take-a-long-time/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/08/ai-has-yet-to-make-money-for-the-music-industry-and-it-may-take-a-long-time/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Stephanie Hong Stocks As artificial intelligence promises to remake one industry after another, investors have yet to figure out what it means for the music industry. A contract Spotify signed with Universal Music Group (UMG) in May caused an immediate 13% rise in its share prices to $489.93 on May 21. Before the contract, Spotify had fallen 25%… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/07/ge-vernova-secures-first-u-s-permit-for-small-nuclear-reactor-in-tennessee/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/07/ge-vernova-secures-first-u-s-permit-for-small-nuclear-reactor-in-tennessee/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Casey Wetherbee NewsCompany Insights The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit late September for a new type of nuclear reactor manufactured by GE Vernova’s nuclear venture, boosting the company’s power segment and reflecting heightened public and regulatory support for U.S. nuclear development. The Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest federally-owned utility, received the permit to construct a GE… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/06/tractor-sales-are-sinking-farm-equipment-stocks-arent/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/06/tractor-sales-are-sinking-farm-equipment-stocks-arent/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Lillian Syme NewsStocks Farm equipment stocks are rallying in the face of one of the worst markets for tractors and combines in years, a sign investors think there is nowhere to go but up. Shares of Deere have risen 48% this year to close Friday at $690.46, while shares of CNH Industrial have climbed 42% since the beginning… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/06/target-is-outpacing-their-retail-competitors/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/06/target-is-outpacing-their-retail-competitors/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Fariha Rahman NewsCompany Insights Move over Prime Day, Target Circle deal days have entered the race. Target is currently experiencing a major windfall in the retail sector, with its shares surging roughly 60% year-to-date. The retailer’s aggressive campaign to reposition itself as an affordable shopping destination appears to be working, in addition to benefitting from recent tariff refunds. A… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/06/tysons-pork-bill-grows-as-beef-losses-bite/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/06/tysons-pork-bill-grows-as-beef-losses-bite/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Lillian Syme TysonCompany Insights Tyson Foods will pay $48 million to settle claims that it drove up pork prices between 2014 and 2018, adding to the meat giant’s growing legal bill over allegations of price fixing. A federal judge on Oct. 1 gave final approval to the settlement with restaurants and commercial food buyers that accused Tyson of conspiring… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/yum-brands-sheds-pizza-hut-to-prioritize-taco-bell-kfc/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/yum-brands-sheds-pizza-hut-to-prioritize-taco-bell-kfc/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Irene Milanez NewsCompany Insights With nearly $3 billion in cash from the sale of its Pizza Hut brand, Yum! brands plans to focus on its restaurants with greater growth potential. The company completed the sale of Pizza Hut’s business, outside of mainland China, to LongRange Capital on Sept. 1 for more than $1.5 billion. In the previous month, Yum!… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/d-r-horton-boosts-its-stock-buybacks/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/d-r-horton-boosts-its-stock-buybacks/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Emma Ferrara NewsCompany InsightsStocks D.R. Horton (DHI) is increasing its stock buyback as it tries to project confidence in its prospects after a tough year for housing companies. The company said in an 8K filing on Sept. 15 that it is now expecting to buy at least $3.25 billion of their equity by the end of the 2026 fiscal… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/the-new-york-times-goes-all-in-on-video/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/the-new-york-times-goes-all-in-on-video/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Nancy Jiang Company InsightsThe New York Times There are about to be a lot more faces in the New York Times’ coverage as the paper of record is forging ahead with its pivot to video strategy, aggressively expanding its short-form video team. “We’re in a race against time to make sure that good-quality journalism competes with AI-generated slop and influencer-generated non-original journalism… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/lawsuit-alleges-costco-misled-members-about-ethically-sourced-products/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/lawsuit-alleges-costco-misled-members-about-ethically-sourced-products/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Ashley Mowreader Company InsightsCostco Costco is known for bulk, low-price items, but a new lawsuit in Oregon alleges Costco’s cost savings come at the price of ethical labor practices. A class action suit filed against the company on Thursday claims Costco, despite claiming to prioritize safe and ethical labor practices, sells “hundreds” of products that use child labor or… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/the-ai-chip-market-is-booming-but-can-it-keep-up-with-investor-spending/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/the-ai-chip-market-is-booming-but-can-it-keep-up-with-investor-spending/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Fariha Rahman NewsStocks Let the chips fall where they may, micro-chips that is. With high demand from the AI boom, chip companies in the semiconductor sector are cashing in. But investors are becoming increasingly focused on what could derail the trade if they were to face a potential slowdown in the market’s interest in AI. That tension was… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/04/has-williams-sonoma-stock-hit-its-ceiling/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/04/has-williams-sonoma-stock-hit-its-ceiling/ Sun, 04 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Sophie Hayssen RetailStock TrendsStocks After months of impressive growth, home furnishing retailer Williams-Sonoma’s stock is poised to hit a wall. Williams-Sonoma’s 30% year-to-date growth has outpaced the S&P 500, the consumer cyclical sector’s overall growth and competitors RH (formerly Restoration Hardware), Bob’s Discount Furniture and Arhaus. Yet analysts aren’t too keen on the stock with only 44% rating it… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/02/vertivs-ai-fueled-rally-puts-data-center-infrastructure-spending-to-the-test/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/02/vertivs-ai-fueled-rally-puts-data-center-infrastructure-spending-to-the-test/ Fri, 02 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Grace Thomas UnitedHealth GroupStocks The stock market has turned a once little-known maker of data center equipment into one of the biggest names in AI infrastructure. Vertiv is up 81% over the past year, compared to 13% for the S&P 500 Industrials sector. The company has also outpaced industrial companies benefiting from the expansion of data centers. That surge… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/02/verizon-att-tmobile-stock-2026/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/02/verizon-att-tmobile-stock-2026/ Fri, 02 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Cole van Miltenburg NewsCompany InsightsStocks Telecom stocks are seeing bigger swings, but a clear winner has emerged thus far. In October 2025, Verizon’s outlook seemed more uncertain than ever. The cell carrier trailed its main competitors in subscriber growth and 5G coverage, and its stock took a major hit after the board of directors abruptly replaced its CEO. Just… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/01/k-shaped-economy-keeps-luxury-homebuilder-stocks-steady-despite-high-rate-environment/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/01/k-shaped-economy-keeps-luxury-homebuilder-stocks-steady-despite-high-rate-environment/ Thu, 01 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Nazeefa Ahmed NewsStocks While homebuilding stocks lag the broader market, builders selling to wealthy buyers are faring better than those selling starter homes There’s no place like home, but investors are finding plenty of places they’d rather put their money. While the S&P 500 climbed 13% year-to-date, American homebuilder stock has gone nowhere, or straight down. Shares of… https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/01/ai-hype-seeping-into-real-estate-data-center-reits-equinix-and-dlr/ https://coveringcompanies.journalism.cuny.edu/2026/10/01/ai-hype-seeping-into-real-estate-data-center-reits-equinix-and-dlr/ Thu, 01 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT Emma Ferrara NewsStocks Home prices are climbing and so are mortgage rates, but one area of the real estate sector is thriving. No surprise: it’s AI-related. The two largest data center REITs, Equinix (EQIX) and Digital Realty (DLR), have been outperforming the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index. Year to date, DLR grew 18% and EQIX gained 33%,…