Business & Markets — October 30, 2026

Starbucks beats U.S. sales expectations. Starbucks beat Wall Street expectations for U.S. comparable sales, a sign its turnaround is gaining traction, but international weakness still pushed the stock lower.

The stock’s decline despite the domestic sales beat reflects investor concern that the recovery is not moving fast enough, according to MarketWatch’s framing of the results. The U.S. comparable-sales figure had been a key measure of whether the company’s turnaround effort is working, and the report suggests that progress at home is being offset by continued softness in markets abroad.

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Equifax settles credit-score suit. Equifax agreed to pay $100 million to settle claims it miscalculated millions of credit scores; eligible consumers could receive up to $280 each.

The payment resolves a class-action lawsuit alleging the credit bureau generated inaccurate scores for millions of consumers, according to Fast Company. Eligibility is tied to those affected by the alleged miscalculations, with individual payouts capped at $280. Credit scores influence lending decisions, so the case centers on claims that errors by the bureau could have affected consumers’ financial outcomes.

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Home prices fall in 66 markets. ResiClub’s analysis of Zillow data shows home prices now declining in 66 major U.S. housing markets, a notable shift in the national picture.

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Utah charges Kalshi co-founders. Utah filed felony gambling charges against the prediction-market platform’s co-founders. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is suing the state to protect the company.

The case sets up a direct conflict between state and federal authorities over whether the platform’s event contracts constitute illegal gambling, according to Reason. Utah is pursuing the matter as a criminal case against individual executives, while the federal government has gone to court against the state itself on the company’s behalf, leaving the platform’s legal status to be resolved across competing proceedings.

Reason · Read more ↗