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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned businesses that using consumers’ personal data to set individual prices without adequate disclosure could breach U.S. consumer-protection law. Companies using personalized pricing will be expected to clearly disclose the practice and the types of data used. The FTC is threatening enforcement action against those that fail to comply. The agency, which cannot prohibit personalized pricing outright, said consumers could suffer substantial harm when information such as browsing history, location and purchasing behavior is used without their knowledge to determine what they are willing to pay. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of artificial intelligence-powered pricing algorithms. New York and Maryland have already introduced their own disclosure requirements or restrictions.

 

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

The SEC has proposed a new regulatory framework for crypto assets. The proposed new rules, titled “Regulation Crypto Assets,” would exempt certain crypto companies and offerings from U.S. securities rules, which should make it easier for crypto companies to issue tokens and raise money. “Regulation Crypto Assets seeks to provide crypto asset entrepreneurs and market participants with clear pathways to raise capital under the federal securities laws,” said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. “This proposal would also allow for a safe harbor once an issuer has completed or permanently ceased all essential managerial efforts that it represented or promised it would take under an investment contract.”

 

Reuters

SEC.gov

U.S. government debt has surpassed $40tn for the first time, reaching $40.05tn and more than doubling from $19.4tn a decade ago. Persistent budget deficits, including pandemic-era stimulus spending, have driven the increase, with the Treasury reporting a $432.3bn deficit in July and a year-to-date shortfall approaching $1.8tn. Rising debt, heavy corporate bond issuance linked to artificial intelligence (AI) investment, inflation concerns, and uncertainty over Federal Reserve policy have contributed to higher Treasury yields and government borrowing costs. Interest payments on the debt have reached nearly $1.2tn this year, making them the largest federal budget expense outside Social Security and Medicare.

 

CNBC

NPR

New York Times

Washington Post

Federal Reserve minutes from its July meeting showed broader support for higher interest rates than the three formal dissents suggested, with many officials indicating that further tightening could be necessary if inflation fails to decline. The Fed held its benchmark rate at 3.5% to 3.75%, although some officials questioned whether financial conditions were restrictive enough to return inflation to the 2% target. Recent mild inflation data have reduced expectations for an immediate hike, with market odds of a September increase falling below 50%. However, officials remain concerned that inflation could prove persistent amid strong artificial intelligence (AI)-related investment and elevated energy costs. Separately, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh proposed reducing the Fed’s eight annual policy meetings to six, with any change taking effect no earlier than 2027.

 

The Hill

New York Times

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

The Port of Los Angeles has recorded its second-busiest July on record, as importers moved goods amid shifting U.S. tariff policies and global supply-chain disruption. The port handled 499,552 loaded import containers, down 8% from July 2025’s record but 6% above the five-year average, while total container volumes reached 960,464 units. Importers have been contending with new U.S. tariffs, elevated freight costs linked to the Iran war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and growing congestion at the Panama Canal. The National Retail Federation expects U.S. import volumes to remain high in August before declining through the remainder of 2026.

 

Bloomberg

Reuters

The ouster of L3Harris Technologies chief executive Christopher Kubasik following a code-of-conduct investigation has renewed questions about why corporate boards appoint executives with previous misconduct allegations. Kubasik had previously resigned from Lockheed Martin in 2012 over a relationship with a subordinate, but later returned to senior leadership and ultimately became CEO of L3Harris. Executive recruiters and governance experts say boards are often willing to overlook past personal misconduct when candidates have scarce industry expertise, strong professional records, and no history of behavior that materially damaged a company’s finances or reputation. Similar career rebounds have occurred for former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd. However, experts warn that separating personal conduct from professional capabilities can expose companies to renewed reputational and governance risks, as illustrated by L3Harris shares falling nearly 5% following Kubasik’s departure.

 

Wall Street Journal

Several Big Law firms are enhancing their national security practices to meet the growing demands of clients focused on anti-money laundering, sanctions, and export control issues. Firms including Latham & Watkins, Sullivan & Cromwell, Nixon Peabody, and Morrison & Foerster have recently hired attorneys to strengthen their national security practices. Latham's Paul Rosen observes that enforcement activity by the Committee on Foreign Investment has been a notable driver of client demand. “There were a number of enforcement actions taken over the last four years in a way that were not taken before, both in numbers and in type of matters . . . But we’re also seeing in [the Trump] administration new types of enforcement,” Rosen said.

 

ABA Journal

The SEC has charged Daniel Chu, Jerome Kollar, and Ameryn Seibold, the former CEO, CFO, and Senior Director of Finance, respectively, at Texas-based subprime auto lender Tricolor, for their roles in an alleged multi-year scheme to defraud investors by double pledging hundreds of millions of dollars of loans to multiple asset-backed securities (ABS) offerings and lenders. The SEC says that from at least 2020 through Tricolor’s bankruptcy in September 2025, Tricolor raised more than $1.9bn through ABS offerings while Tricolor, Chu, and Kollar made numerous false and misleading representations to investors about the lender’s overall financial health, portraying the company as financially sound despite knowing that Tricolor was facing significant liquidity constraints and struggling to fund its operations.

 

CNN

SEC.gov

Federal prosecutors looking into billionaire Mark Walter's empire are focused on four entities that served as intermediaries between insurance companies he controlled, the ​Wall Street Journal has reported. The report said prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating ‌whether Walter or his businesses committed fraud by concealing financial connections while borrowing billions of dollars from insurers he controls. “We have always acted in good faith, and insinuations that we have in any way attempted to circumvent our obligations is simply false,” a spokesman for TWG Global, Walter’s conglomerate, said in a statement. “We are proud of the business that we have built and the value we have created for our clients, investors and shareholders.”

 

Wall Street Journal

A U.S. federal appeals court has said a judge ‌wrongly dismissed a $6.7bn lawsuit accusing Bristol Myers Squibb of cheating former Celgene shareholders by delaying federal approval for three drugs, including the cancer treatment Breyanzi. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan voted 3-0 to reinstate the suit. Bristol Myers acquired Celgene for $80.3bn in 2019. As part of the deal, Celgene shareholders who held contingent value rights were entitled to an additional $9 per share if Bristol Myers secured timely FDA approvals for the three drugs.

 

Quartz

Fierce Pharma

Reuters

Apple has announced a new fee structure for apps distributed in the European Union as it seeks to comply with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act and resolve disagreements with regulators. From October 1st, Apple will charge a 5% Core Technology Commission on digital transactions for apps distributed through alternative marketplaces or the web, replacing its previous Core Technology Fee and eliminating separate acquisition and store services fees. Apps distributed through Apple’s App Store but using alternative payment processing will face a 20% commission, falling to 10% for developers participating in its small business program. Apple said the changes will create a single set of EU developer terms similar to those offered in markets including Japan and Brazil. The European Commission has welcomed the changes and will monitor their implementation. However, Epic Games, which has long challenged Apple’s App Store practices, criticized the new commission as a “junk fee” and argued that the changes do not go far enough to promote competition.

 

CNBC

New York Times

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

German companies cut their investments in the United States to ‌the lowest ​level since 2023 in the first half of this year, according to the German Economic Institute (IW). Direct investments in the first-half fell by nearly two-thirds year-on-year to €4.3bn ($5bn). "This continues the downward trend that has been evident since ​the start of Donald Trump's second term in January 2025," IW researcher Samina Sultan told Reuters.

 

Reuters

Packaged-food companies are adapting to the rapid growth of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, which suppress appetite, can alter taste, and could cost the food and beverage industry $30bn to $55bn in annual revenue as early as 2030, according to JPMorgan. Morgan Stanley estimates that as many as 55 million Americans, or 15% of the population, could be using the drugs by 2035. Conagra is experimenting with smaller portions, more protein, familiar flavors, and new marketing language, while General Mills is using AI-powered consumer personas to develop products aimed at changing dietary preferences. Kraft Heinz is also targeting GLP-1 users and other members of their households with protein-focused meal ideas. With one in five U.S. households now including a GLP-1 user, food manufacturers increasingly view the shift as a lasting change rather than another diet trend. Companies are betting that protein, fiber, portion control, convenience, and familiar flavors can help offset declining demand as consumers eat fewer calories.

 

Wall Street Journal