Kraft Heinz confirms company split
Kraft Heinz on Tuesday confirmed earlier reports that it would split up into two publicly traded companies through a tax-free spinoff. The names of the two new companies will be determined at a later date.
One unit, which currently goes by “Global Taste Elevation,” will include Kraft’s shelf-stable products such as Heinz and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other one, “North American Grocery,” will include brands such as Oscar Mayer and Lunchables.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of next year. Shares were little changed in the premarket.
— Fred Imbert
September is the worst month for stocks
September is historically the worst month for stocks. In data going back to 1950, the S&P 500 has averaged a 0.7% decline in September, both for all years and post-election years, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac.
In recent years, that track record has gotten worse. Over the past five years, the S&P 500 has averaged a 4.2% drop in September. Over the last 10 years, the index has dropped 2% on average.
— Sarah Min
Asia markets close mixed as investors assess SCO summit amid tariff uncertainty
Asia-Pacific markets closed mixed as investors assessed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting of leaders in Tianjin, with tariff uncertainty weighing on sentiment.
This comes after a U.S. federal appeals court on Friday ruled that most of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs are illegal.
India markets were in focus after Trump said that India had offered to reduce its tariffs on U.S. imports to zero.
“They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that the U.S.’ relationship with India was “one sided.”
India’s benchmark Nifty 50 rose 0.29%, while the BSE Sensex index advanced 0.26% as of 1:40 p.m. Indian Standard Time (4:10 a.m. ET).
Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended the day 0.29% higher at 42,310.49 after choppy trade, while the broader Topix index moved up 0.61% to 3,081.88.
Suntory Beverage & Food came in the spotlight following reports that its CEO and Chairman Takeshi Niinami resigned following a police investigation into his purchase of a potentially illegal supplement.
Shares of the Japanese soft drinks and wellness food products producer ended the day 2.94% higher.
Over in South Korea, the Kospi index increased by 0.94% to 3,172.35, while the small-cap Kosdaq added 1.15% to 794.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.47% to close at 25,496.55, while mainland China’s CSI 300 dropped 0.74% to 4,490.45.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 moved down 0.3% to end the day at 8,900.60.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission said that its review panel had imposed a fine of $3.88 million Australian dollars ($2.52 million) on a local unit of French lender Societe Generale for failing to prevent suspicious orders in the electricity and wheat futures markets.
An investigation by the regulatory body found that Societe Generale Securities Australia, which is one of the largest participants on the ASX 24 derivatives market, had allowed two of its clients to place 33 suspicious orders between May 2023 and February 2024. That “volatile period” saw supply issues in global energy and wheat markets caused by the Russia-Ukrainian War, among other factors, the panel said.
Meanwhile, the country’s current account balance for the April to June quarter came in at a deficit of AU$13.7 billion Australian dollars, compared to the AU$14.7 billion deficit the quarter before and the AU$16 billion deficit forecast by economists polled by Reuters.
— Amala Balakrishner
Most Trump tariffs ruled illegal by appeals court
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that most of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs are illegal, striking a massive blow to the core of his aggressive trade policy.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held in a 7-4 ruling that the law Trump invoked when he granted his most expansive tariffs — including his “reciprocal” tariffs — does not actually grant him the power to impose those levies.
“The core Congressional power to impose taxes such as tariffs is vested exclusively in the legislative branch by the Constitution,” the court said. “Tariffs are a core Congressional power.”
— Kevin Breuninger, Dan Mangan
Stock futures open higher
Stock futures opened higher Monday night.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 19 points. S&P 500 futures were higher by about 0.11% and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.14%.
— Sarah Min
