For: August 31, 2026
>>Ahead Of The Bell
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed lower Friday to end the week. Stocks fell after Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh signaled the Fed may raise rates. Speaking at the central bank's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Warsh said the Fed has "work to do" if inflation persists above its target of two-percent. Treasury yields, which are linked to borrowing costs, moved higher following his remarks. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 9 points to 53-559. The S&P 500 fell 19 points to 77-11. The Nasdaq dropped 138 points to 26-402.
>>Monthly Jobs Report Out This Week
(Undated) -- Coming up in the business week ahead, the big story will be the government's monthly jobs report. That's due Friday. It's expected to show around 50-thousand new, non-farm payroll jobs were created in August. That would be a notable increase from the 23-thousand that were unexpectedly shed the month prior.
>>Trump Says He'll Fill Strategic Petroleum Reserve
(Undated) -- President Trump says he'll fill the Strategic National Reserves with Venezuelan oil. Trump made the comment in a Truth Social post on Sunday, writing that the "topping out" process will begin very shortly. The President also called it a gift from Venezuela to the people of the United States. It comes after Trump announced that the U.S. had "secured majority U.S. control of more than 65-billion barrels of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer." Trump has expressed a positive working relationship with the Venezuelans since the U.S. military captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on drug charges.
>>Sony, Warner Sue Anthropic Alleging 'Blatant Theft'
(San Francisco, CA) -- Some of the largest music publishers have filed a blockbuster lawsuit against Anthropic. The Friday night filing alleges "one of the largest and most blatant ongoing thefts of intellectual property in history." Units of Sony Music and Warner Music filed the suit in federal court in northern California, naming Anthropic, CEO Dario Amodei and co-founder Benjamin Mann as defendants. The 48 page complaint claims that Anthropic pirated thousands of copyrighted musical works and asks for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damagers per infringed work.
>>Meal Kit Companies Hit With Complaints After Customers Receive Spoiled Food, Empty Boxes
(New York, NY) -- Two meal kit companies are getting hit with complaints and threats to cancel after customers said they received spoiled food or nearly empty boxes. Blue Apron and Marley Spoon are popular delivery services that allow customers to select recipes in advance and send an insulated box with the ingredients and instructions. But since the companies' old supplier FreshRealm filed for bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reports that their transition to a new system has been a bumpy ride with supply chain issues.
>>Americans Using less Cash Than A Decade Ago
(Washington, DC) -- A new study says Americans are using cash less and less. The study from the Pew Research Center says 42-percent of U.S. adults say they never use it for purchases in a typical week. The survey found that only 12-percent said they only use cash for typical weekly purchases. Higher-earning Americans are at the forefront of the cashless trend, with 58-percent of those in households earning 100-thousand dollars or more a year reporting they make none of their regular purchases with cash. People in lower-income households were more likely to use cash, with about a quarter of those earning less than 30-thousand dollars per year saying they use cash for all or most purchases.
>>Consumer Sentiment Slips On Inflation Worries
(Ann Arbor, MI) -- Consumer sentiment fell about six percent from last month. The University of Michigan's final reading for August slipped mainly on inflation worries. The survey noted declines for all political groups especially among Republicans along with older Americans and lower income groups. Uncertainty over the Iran conflict, gas prices and trade tensions added to concerns about the economy. Consumers expect prices to go up four-percent over the next year, which is a slight decrease from last month.
