Coca-Cola posted stronger-than-expected second-quarter results, with organic sales up 6%, comparable operating margin at 35.6% and comparable EPS rising 11% to $0.97. The company also lifted its full-year guidance, including raising its free cash flow outlook to about $12.4 billion from $12.2 billion. Still, the stock is up 29% year to date, and the average price target of $94.25 implies only about 6% upside.

India, the world’s second-largest sugar producer, is expected to import sugar for a second consecutive year in 2025-26 after domestic prices surged to a record high on lower output. Prolonged rainfall shortages in Maharashtra and Karnataka, along with state decisions to prioritise reservoir water for drinking over irrigation, are set to sharply reduce sugar content in cane slated for crushing from October. The lower sugar recovery is expected to further tighten supplies and weigh on production.

General Motors and Ford are expected to post the sharpest U.S. market-share losses among major automakers through the first three quarters of the year, an industry forecast shows. Ford’s sales are projected to fall 8.8%, pulling its share down to 12.5%, while GM’s sales are seen declining 6.2% with share slipping to 16.7%, according to Cox Automotive. Toyota and Honda are forecast to grow sales 1.1% and 5.6%, respectively, as demand for fuel efficiency rises amid higher gas prices.

Shares of AI infrastructure provider Nebius Group rose about 8% on Thursday after BNP Paribas Exane upgraded the stock to Outperform from Neutral and raised its price target to $399 from $260. The company has recently signed several large customer agreements and reported rapid growth in its AI cloud business. Nebius also plans to raise prices for selected Nvidia GPU instances by roughly 17% to 21% starting Oct. 1.

McDonald’s said it will invest $8.5 billion over the next decade to modernize restaurants globally, and its shares fell nearly 5% the same day, marking the biggest one-day drop since April 2025. The company’s U.S. president said about 30 million Americans using GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are gravitating toward smaller, higher-protein meals, while company research shows 60 million Americans are actively seeking more protein. McDonald’s also said its AI drive-thru ordering system, Archy, can now take orders in English and Spanish with a 90% accuracy rate.

Nvidia-backed “neocloud” company Nscale has filed for a New York listing and is seeking a valuation of up to $35 billion. Its prospectus shows a net loss of $1.02 billion in the six months to June 30, 2026, and management at one point flagged “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue as a going concern. Nscale signed a $3.1 billion subscription agreement on September 15, with Nvidia investing $1 billion via convertible notes or nonvoting shares. The company says it has $103 billion in contracts, though most are not yet firm.

Escalating tensions in the Middle East, including Yemen’s Houthis claiming an attack on Saudi military facilities, sent Brent crude surging to $107. Rising energy costs and strong economic data led investors to bet the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again, pushing the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield to its highest level since 2004. Wall Street’s main indexes fell on Thursday as a result, with the Dow hitting a more than three-month low and technology stocks leading declines in the S&P 500.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, with the Dow hitting a more than three-month low as Middle East tensions pushed Brent crude futures up to $107 a barrel. Higher oil prices added to inflation worries, sending the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield to its highest level since 2004. Tech shares led losses in the S&P 500, with Nvidia, Broadcom and Microsoft each down more than 1%. Oracle slid 5% after a report said it issued a force majeure notice tied to a large New Mexico data center project.