Skip to main content

☕ 2008 flashbacks

Finance world on edge over First Brands meltdown...
Advertisement Advertisement

Good morning to everyone who reads this newsletter to stay updated on current events, and to everyone else who thought, "Sure, why the heck not?" after checking your email to see if your Amazon package shipped. We love you all equally.

—Molly Liebergall, Sam Klebanov, Adam Epstein

MARKETS

Nasdaq

22,694.61

S&P

6,654.72

Dow

46,067.58

10-Year

4.051%

Bitcoin

$115,574.26

MP Materials

$95.06

Data is provided by

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean.

  • Markets: Stocks bounced back from Friday's rout after President Trump appeared to strike a softer tone on his threats to place more tariffs on China. Meanwhile, rare earth company MP Materials went turbo mode yesterday, extending a rally from last week that started when China said it would curb exports of rare earths.
 

FINANCE

Stack of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy forms

Francis Scialabba

The finance world is on edge because of an auto supplier that you've probably never heard of: First Brands, a midsize maker of spark plugs and other automotive accoutrement, is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar meltdown. Weeks after declaring bankruptcy, the company's founder and CEO resigned yesterday amid suspicions around its accounting practices.

ICYMI: First Brands filed for bankruptcy late last month, revealing more than $10 billion in debt from loans that it took out over the past decade to fund ambitious acquisitions and expand quickly across five continents. But the company suddenly ran out of money, and now Wall Street financiers are clutching their IOUs:

  • The investment bank Jefferies appears to be the most exposed. Its stock fell last week after it announced that one of its subsidiaries lent First Brands $715 million.
  • Funds run by other major firms, including UBS and BlackRock, are also owed hefty checks that likely aren't coming any time soon.

With as much as $2.3 billion in assets unaccounted for, federal officials are now investigating what exactly went wrong at First Brands. According to court filings, part of the problem was that the company would pledge the same invoiced revenues to several of its lenders, like when you promise your last slice of pizza to both your partner and your roommate.

Alarms sound in the private credit sector

Many of the companies that lent money to First Brands aren't traditional banks, meaning their financing falls into the far less regulated world of private credit—a $3 trillion market that exploded after banks got more cautious with loans following the 2008 financial crisis.

Since private credit deals are often complex and inked off the public markets, "if something is going disastrously wrong, it might only be detected once it's too late," per Politico.

Zoom out: First Brands' bankruptcy isn't expected to be market-shattering, but some analysts think it suggests a growing risk that private credit-related collapses could ripple out into broader financial trouble.—ML

Presented By Uber

WORLD

Israel hostage release

Nir Keidar/Anadolu via Getty Images

Israeli hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas freed all 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees yesterday as a ceasefire to end the devastating two-year war in Gaza was signed by President Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, who helped broker the agreement. Earlier in the day, Trump became the first US president since George W. Bush in 2008 to directly address the Israeli Parliament, where he declared the "historic dawn of a new Middle East" and urged Israel's president to pardon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption charges. Questions remain about Gaza's postwar governance and who will pay to rebuild the enclave, among other issues that the first phase of the ceasefire did not cover.

OpenAI and Broadcom ink custom chip deal. You are not having déjà vu—this is a different OpenAI deal than the three others you may have read about in recent weeks. The ChatGPT maker agreed with semiconductor giant Broadcom to jointly develop 10 gigawatts of custom AI chips starting next year. The arrangement follows similar ones OpenAI has made with Oracle, Nvidia, and AMD to increase the computing capacity needed for its AI expansion. Broadcom, whose stock popped by nearly 10% following news of the deal, has been one of the biggest winners of the AI boom, thanks to its custom chips called XPUs.

Apple minused its plus. Apple's streaming service will henceforth be known as Apple TV after the company dropped the "+" in Apple TV+, it announced yesterday. That means the service will have the same name as Apple's smart TV device and associated app. The tech giant did not explain the decision beyond wanting to give the streaming service, which is home to The Studio and Severance, a "vibrant new identity." It's the latest streaming rebrand after Warner Bros. Discovery reverted Max to its original name of HBO Max in July.—AE

FASHION

Paris Shein protests

Dimitar Dilkoff/Getty Images

Shein's brick-and-mortar debut in Paris has inspired the biggest French backlash since the American tourist who asked for barbecue sauce with his steak au poivre. The Chinese e-commerce giant's boutique opening inside the historic BHV Marais department store next month is drawing outrage from French fashion brands and unions, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and over 100,000 petitioners.

Detractors argue Shein's business model of purveying cheap made-in-China clothes undercuts local competition, harms the environment, and is built on labor abuses. Shein maintains it wants to adapt its production to European requirements.

Shein shaming

The Shein boutique hasn't yet arrived at BHV Marais, but the company that operates the couture emporium, Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), is already getting dinged:

  • Several brands who would have to share square footage with Shein are pulling their merchandise from the store in protest. Sheingate comes as many brands are already displeased with SGM over delayed payments for their wares.
  • A state-owned bank nixed plans to finance SGM's purchase of the BHV building over the Shein deal.

Meanwhile, SGM has plans for several other Shein boutiques inside stores it operates in multiple French cities.

Governments are also taking action…with the EU and the US recently introducing taxes targeting goods shipped from Chinese fast-fashion sites like Shein.—SK

Together With Justworks

CALENDAR

US government shutdown

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Shutdown effects are mounting. Now two weeks old, the government shutdown could begin to take a substantial bite out of the US economy this week as more furloughed federal employees miss their paychecks due on Wednesday. The shutdown has already led to flight delays, national park closures, and IRS phone lines going down. And as more employees don't see a paycheck (and more get laid off), it could dent consumer spending, which drives the bulk of economic growth. Neither Democrats nor Republicans seem to be in a rush to resolve this.

Dreamforce starts today. Salesforce begins its annual takeover of San Francisco today with its massive Dreamforce conference. More than 50,000 people who definitely know what Salesforce does will descend on the city to hear CEO Marc Benioff give a keynote address on what he calls agentic enterprise, a new corporate model in which AI and humans collaborate. But some political comments Benioff made ahead of the conference may overshadow this business push: In an interview with the New York Times last weekend, the longtime liberal called on President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to San Francisco, saying that Democrats had "destroyed" the city.

Earnings season kicks off. It's the most wonderful time of the year. No, not the winter holidays, but Q3 earnings season, which starts this week. A slew of big companies will get the festivities going, including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Domino's, Johnson & Johnson, and Taiwan Semiconductor. Last quarter's earnings were some of the best in history, with strong corporate profits underpinning the summer's stock market rally.

Everything else:

  • Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will deliver a keynote speech today at the NABE annual meeting in Philadelphia.
  • The IMF and World Bank's semi-annual gathering of central bankers and finance ministers kicks off this week in Washington, DC.
  • The MLB championship series are underway to determine who will play in the World Series, with the Dodgers taking on the Brewers in the National League and the Blue Jays facing the Mariners in the American League.
  • Make sure to wish your dad a happy NCIS Week. NCIS, NCIS: Origins, and NCIS: Sydney all premiere new seasons today.
  • The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is tomorrow night.
  • Netflix's Frankenstein, starring Australian heartthrob Jacob Elordi as the monster, comes out in select theaters on Friday before hitting the streaming platform on Nov. 7.
  • Blink-182 and Panic! At the Disco headline the When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas on Saturday and Sunday.
  • A second set of "No Kings" protests against the Trump administration is planned throughout the US on Saturday.

STAT

former Penn State head football coach James Franklin

Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

Have you ever done your job so poorly that your employer gave you nearly $50 million to go away? No? Well, you must not be a prominent college football coach.

Penn State fired head coach James Franklin on Sunday after the team's loss at home to unranked Northwestern. It was apparently the final straw after the Nittany Lions—who entered the season ranked No. 2 in the country and had national championship aspirations—lost three games in a row, including as a 24.5-point favorite to winless UCLA:

  • Penn State now must pay Franklin the remainder of his 10-year contract, reportedly worth more than $49 million.
  • That's the second-biggest buyout in college football history, behind the $76 million that Jimbo Fisher was given to stop being the Texas A&M coach in 2023.

Observers expect these monstrous buyouts to continue as more money is poured into college sports and as universities value winning above all else.—AE

Together With ReMarkable

NEWS

  • Doug Lebda, the founder and CEO of LendingTree, died in an ATV accident on his family farm in North Carolina, the company said.
  • The Nobel prize in Economics was awarded to three researchers for their work explaining how innovation and "creative destruction" drive economic growth.
  • Paramount is said to be considering taking an offer directly to shareholders after Warner Bros. Discovery rebuffed its initial takeover attempt, the Wall Street Journal reported.
  • California became the latest US state to mandate that social media companies show health warning labels to users under 18.
  • JPMorgan announced a 10-year plan to invest $10 billion in four areas it deems essential to national security: defense and aerospace, "frontier" tech like AI and quantum computing, energy, and supply chain.
  • Taylor Swift announced a six-episode docuseries on her Eras Tour is coming to Disney+ in December.

RECS

To-do list banner

Wear: Cute socks to peek out of your loafers.**

Wait: A pong clock where every minute, the time always wins.

Bring the kids: Luxury resorts where there are specialized wellness treatments for children.

Read: The most enticing books coming out this fall.

Adventure unleashed: The Fi Series 3+ keeps your dog safe wherever the journey leads with precision GPS, escape alerts, and unmatched durability. Get up to $70 off with code MORNING (offer expires Oct. 27).*

*A message from our sponsor. **This article contains product recommendations from our writers. When you buy through these links, Morning Brew may earn a commission.

PLAY

Brew Mini: If you play Wordle, you should have no problem with today's Mini. Play it here.

Nutritional facts

Below is the ingredient list for a food product you'd find at the grocery store. Can you name it?

Milk, cream, sugar, skim milk, tara gum, natural flavor

SHARE THE BREW

Share Morning Brew with your friends, acquire free Brew swag, and then acquire more friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag.

We're saying we'll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link.

Your referral count: 0

Click to Share

Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=1a7b2404

ANSWER

Breyers Original Natural Vanilla Ice Cream.

Word of the Day

Today's Word of the Day is: henceforth, meaning "from this point on." Thanks to Cathy from Denver, CO, for the medieval suggestion. Submit another Word of the Day here.

         
ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP // FAQ

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here.
View our privacy policy here.

Copyright © 2025 Morning Brew Inc. All rights reserved.
22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

(5̶0̶0̶0̶0̶ ̶V̶N̶D -> 0$) - Bố Già (Dad, I'm sorry)

  Bố Già bản điện ảnh 2021 Dad, I'M SORRY 2021 Bo gia Phim bo gia Tran Thanh Phim bố già Trấn Thành  bố già full bố già full hd bố già lồng tiếng bố già vietsub Bố già  là câu chuyện thường nhật về một gia đình ở một xóm lao động nghèo tại  thành phố Hồ Chí Minh , ở đó có bộ tứ anh em Giàu, Sang, Phú, Quý. Ba Sang ( Trấn Thành ) là cha đơn thân, một mình nuôi hai con Quắn và Bù Tọt, trong đó đứa con trai đầu hơn 20 tuổi tên Quắn ( Tuấn Trần ) là một  YouTuber  kiếm tiền từ những lượt xem trên  YouTube . Tính ông cần kiệm còn Quắn có phần bốc đồng, nông nổi, có thể mua chiếc quần hay đôi giày giá hơn 10 triệu đồng. Ông hay bao đồng, thường can thiệp vào chuyện láng giềng và cố gắng giúp đỡ tất cả mọi người xung quanh, còn Quắn thì cho rằng mỗi người có một cuộc sống riêng. Dù yêu thương nhau nhưng khoảng cách giữa các thế hệ đã dẫn đến những mâu thuẫn cha con nảy sinh. [5]

☕ The Halloween edition

The giant skeleton vs. homeowners associations... Presented by October 29, 2023 | View Online | Sign Up | Shop Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty   EDITOR'S NOTE   Every October, a Spirit Halloween store takes over your local strip mall, and we thought: "Why should newsletters be spared?" Today's Brew Review is a Halloween special, with sections on the most mysterious news headlines of the year and a dispatch from the Halloween capital of the world (Massholes know what we're talking about). Happy Halloween. 🎃   BROWSING   In honor of Halloween, here are the spookiest headlines from the year as they would appear in a Classifieds section. Careers EXECUTIVE HAUNTER...

Fed hits pause on interest rate cuts amid Trump’s flurry of economic plans

  View in Browser January 29, 2025   Dow 44,713.52 0.31% S&P 500 6,039.31 0.47% NASDAQ 19,632.32 0.51% Last updated January 29 at 5:15 PM ET     Fed hits pause on interest rate cuts amid Trump's flurry of economic plans Consumers and traders are waiting to learn if the Fed's pause i...