Become more informed in minutes...

Microsoft has introduced Agent 365, a management platform for businesses to oversee artificial intelligence agents - automated programs that are expected to reach 1.3bn in use by 2028. The tool allows IT staff to monitor, secure, and control AI agents across platforms including Microsoft and Salesforce. Agents can be quarantined if they misbehave or pose cybersecurity risks. “Business leaders want to measure ROI and manage these agents just like employees,” said Judson Althoff, Microsoft’s commercial CEO. While some firms have seen success with AI agents, others have faced implementation challenges, raising concerns about the technology’s maturity and the potential for an AI market bubble.

 

CNBC

Reuters

Make Cloud Spend Meaningful

Cloud costs are rising faster than most finance teams can explain. Traditional FinOps focuses on dashboards and savings targets, but it often misses the bigger question: why is the money being spent in the first place? Intent-aware FinOps reframes cost control around business value. It pushes CFOs to examine architectural promises – speed, resilience, security – and ensure every pound spent backs a defined outcome.

This playbook breaks the approach into four practical pillars. No jargon. No theory. Just the real habits used by high-performing teams to close the gap between cloud usage and business intent. Expect guidance on how to interrogate spend drivers, expose misaligned investments, and turn optimisation work into a strategic lever rather than a cost-cutting exercise.

For CFOs wrestling with cloud unpredictability, Intent-aware FinOps offers a route to clarity, stronger governance, and better forecasting.

Download the FinOps playbook

 

Kroger has announced that it will close three robotic delivery warehouses that use Ocado technology in Florida, Maryland, and Wisconsin, as part of a strategy to revamp its $12bn e-commerce business. The closures, set for January, will result in a $2.6bn write-off. The company aims to enhance its digital operations, expecting an annual improvement of $400m. Kroger plans to shift some delivery operations to existing grocery stores and has strengthened partnerships with third-party delivery services including Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. Ocado said that it will lose out on $50m in revenue this financial year as a result of the closures. 

 

Cincinnati Enquirer

Financial Times

Reuters

Spirit Airlines has reached tentative agreements with its pilot and flight attendant unions for pay and benefit cuts as part of its Chapter 11 restructuring. The Air Line Pilots Association agreed to an 8% pay cut and reduced retirement contributions from 16% to 8%, with gradual restorations starting in 2028. Flight attendants will retain base pay and healthcare, but overtime and ground holding pay will be trimmed, with improvements set for 2027. The agreements, pending member and court approval, will take effect in 2026 and revert to original terms once the airline posts a 7.5% pre-tax margin over three quarters.

 

Reuters

Home Depot has cut its full-year profit forecast, citing a reluctance among consumers to spend on housing renovation projects amid economic concerns and high mortgage rates. “We believe that consumer uncertainty and continued pressure in housing are disproportionately impacting home improvement demand", commented chief executive Ted Decker, who added: “Can the Home Depot grow? The answer is yes. Will the industry have some shorter-term pressures with turnover in home price? Yes, as well". For the third quarter ended November 2nd, revenues of $41.35bn beat analyst expectations of $41.1bn, acording to LSEG, while net income dropped to $3.6bn, or $3.62 per share, from $3.65bn a year earlier. Comparable sales rose 0.2%. The company now expects adjusted earnings for the year to decline about 5%, a downgrade from its previous forecast of a 2% drop. 

 

Bloomberg

CNBC

New York Times

Reuters

The head of WH Smith has resigned after an independent investigation of the U.K. retailer’s accounts found its treatment of its U.S. business was “not consistent with the group’s stated accounting policy.” The group announced this morning that Carl Cowling has stepped down as chief executive, and stepped down as a board director, with immediate effect, and has been replaced on an interim basis by Andrew Harrison, head of its U.K. division. WH Smith previously said it found an overstatement of about £30m ($39.5m) in its profits for North America in the latest fiscal year, a figure it has lifted to as much as £50m based on new figures published in an independent review carried out by Deloitte. "This is an extremely serious matter that has had the Board's full attention, and we sincerely apologize for the shortcomings identified", WH Smith chair Annette Court said, adding the priority was to rebuild trust and to improve profitability of the division.

 

Bloomberg

Financial Times

Reuters

The Guardian

Lugano Diamonds & Jewelry has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, seeking a buyer after allegations against its founder, Mordechai “Moti” Ferder, of fraudulent diamond sales. The company aims to sell “substantially all of its assets” while securing $12m in debtor-in-possession financing to maintain operations. Interim chief executive Josh Gaynor expressed gratitude for the support from employees and clients, commenting: “As this process is underway . . . we look forward to continuing to provide our valued clients with unique, timeless pieces.” Lugano's financial troubles stem from lawsuits alleging Ferder misrepresented the company's finances, with liabilities estimated between $500m and $1bn.

 

Los Angeles Times

Anheuser-Busch InBev is in advanced talks to acquire BeatBox Beverages in a deal that could value the alcoholic punch brand at around $700m, according to the Wall Street Journal. BeatBox, backed by Mark Cuban and targeting $175m in 2024 revenue, appeals to younger consumers, with 8%–11% ABV drinks sold in Tetra Pak cartons. A deal would expand AB InBev’s ready-to-drink portfolio, which includes Cutwater and Nütrl.

 

Wall Street Journal

The maker of Callaway golf clubs has agreed to sell a majority stake in its Topgolf subsidiary to Leonard Green Partners at a $1.1bn valuation, a figure just half of what it paid for the upscale driving range operator five years ago. Topgolf Callaway said in September last year it was considering a split of its eponymous units to maximize shareholder value, after the company's stock had plunged over 73% from its post-merger highs leading up to the announcement. The Carlsbad, California-based company will revert to its original name Callaway Golf Company upon the closing of the sale in the first quarter of fiscal 2026.

 

Bloomberg

Financial Times

Reuters

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is seeking to recoup losses of nearly $1.8bn from the estate of the late Mike Lynch over HP's 2011 acquisition of Lynch's tech firm Autonomy for $11.1bn. Lynch died last year when his luxury yacht sank off Sicily. HP accused Lynch and Autonomy's former chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, of inflating the firm's value before the takeover. Autonomy's worth was written down by $8.8bn within a year of its purchase by HP.

 

BBC News

Reuters

The Times

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Empire State Manufacturing Index has significantly outperformed expectations, rising to 18.7 from a prior reading of 10.7 and well above the 6.1 forecast. A figure above zero indicates improving conditions, and this latest surge suggests New York’s manufacturing sector is gaining momentum. The index, derived from a monthly survey of around 200 manufacturers across the state, is a closely watched economic gauge. The stronger-than-expected result is also seen as supportive for the U.S. dollar, as upbeat manufacturing data typically bolsters sentiment around economic growth and monetary policy prospects.

 

Investing

Almost 20 government ministers and more than 80 countries at the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil have called on the almost 200 nations to sign up for a "road map" away from fossil fuel use. Supporters said that none of the options to accelerate the shift included in a draft agreement were sufficient, and they called on Brazil to do more. Panama’s climate envoy, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, told the Financial Times that any road map would need a “lot of flexibility” to allow for the different circumstances of countries.

 

AP News

Bloomberg

Financial Times

RTE.ie

TIGTA has announced its Fiscal Year 2026 Program Plan, detailing nearly 100 audits and evaluations focused on the IRS. The plan addresses significant challenges, including the impact of workforce reductions from the Trump administration and the elimination of paper checks. "We conduct a strategic planning process that identifies high-risk or emerging issues impacting federal tax administration," TIGTA stated. Upcoming reports will examine the effects of staffing cuts on IRS operations, including overtime and the Criminal Investigation division's resources. Additionally, assessments will be made on the IRS's Drug-Free Workplace Program and the effectiveness of its controls over premium pay during the filing season.

 

Accounting Today

Trafigura's $600m case against Indian businessman Prateek Gupta over fake nickel cargoes has begun at London's High Court. The Geneva-based commodities trader claims that Gupta was behind a fraud in which he and his companies agreed to provide high-quality 99.8% pure nickel but delivered low-value or even worthless materials instead. The Financial Times says the scandal has rocked the commodities trading industry and raised questions over the due diligence procedures which were in place at Trafigura.

 

Financial Times

Reuters

The Times

The cost of a classic Thanksgiving dinner for ten has fallen 5% from 2024 to $55.18, marking a third consecutive annual decline, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. This year’s drop, driven by steep discounting on turkey, down 16.3%, brings the total to its lowest since 2021, although prices for half the meal’s components – including sweet potatoes and frozen peas – have risen, by 37% and 17.2% respectively. The total remains 13% higher than in 2019, before pandemic-driven inflation.

 

Reuters