Business & Markets — October 8, 2026

Japan raids beer giants. Japanese authorities raided Asahi, Kirin, Suntory, and Sapporo -- which together control more than 90% of the country's beer market -- over suspected collusion to set beverage prices.

The Guardian reports the investigation centers on alleged price-fixing among the four companies, which together dominate nearly the entire Japanese beer market. That concentration means any coordinated pricing would leave consumers with few alternatives, a factor that typically draws regulatory scrutiny. The raids indicate authorities' suspicions are at the evidence-gathering stage; no findings or penalties have been announced, and the companies' responses were not detailed in the report.

The Guardian · Read more →

DHS proposes $70,000 graduate work fee. A Department of Homeland Security proposal would impose a $70,000 fee tied to the OPT work-authorization program for international students -- a change that would hit universities and tech employers hard.

The fee would attach to Optional Practical Training, the program that lets international students work in the U.S. after graduation, according to Business Insider. Because universities use post-graduation work options to attract foreign enrollment and tech companies draw heavily on OPT participants for hiring, the outlet says the cost could reshape decisions on both sides. The measure remains a proposal, meaning it would still need to move through the rulemaking process before taking effect.

Business Insider · Read more →

Dollar reaches 18-month high. The U.S. dollar rose to an 18-month high as uncertainty across the Atlantic, including a steep French bond rout, fueled bets on further gains.

Reuters frames the rally as driven less by U.S. strength than by trouble abroad, with European uncertainty pushing investors toward the greenback. The selloff in French bonds, described by the outlet as historic, has been a key catalyst, and traders are positioning for the currency to climb further. That makes the dollar's trajectory closely tied to how European conditions evolve, with continued stress across the Atlantic likely to reinforce the bullish bets Reuters describes.

Reuters · Read more →