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- Editorial : State farmers face financial struggles
Louisiana farmers are facing higher costs for fuel, fertilizer and equipment, along with drought, saltwater intrusion and rising irrigation expenses. Farmer Eddie Lewis III, who works 1,000 acres, estimates he is already $200,000 over his $1 million budget, so he has cut labor, delayed equipment purchases and considered selling farmland. LSU AgCenter economist Michael Deliberto said price gains have not offset rising fuel and fertilizer costs, which the editorial links mainly to the Iran war; from January to August, direct production costs per acre rose from $543 to $643 for sugar cane, $740 to $830 for corn, $780 to $930 for rice and $465 to $507 for soybeans. Rice and crawfish farmer Homer Leger expects to finish about $20,000 short and plans another bank loan, while Brandon Vail said he might not have planted this year's crop without federal help. The editorial warns that consumers will also lose out if high production costs push farmers to seek other livelihoods.
- Canada groceries: More borrow, use savings to buy food
A new survey finds about one in three Canadians have drawn on savings or borrowed to buy food, according to the Canadian Food Sentiment Index from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab. The share is 24% in Nova Scotia, 28% in New Brunswick and 14% in Prince Edward Island, where the sample was smaller. Estimated total monthly food spending rose from $497 in spring 2025 to $521 in fall 2026, while one in four Canadians still expect food prices to rise more than 10% over the next year, even though grocery inflation is below 3%. All six of the top grocery-saving behaviours, such as couponing and seeking sales, have declined since fall 2024, which the report links to possible strategy fatigue. Transportation rose to second place among expense increases at 41.2%, behind food at 76.7%, reflecting higher gasoline and diesel prices, and lead author Dr. Sylvain Charlebois called it a warning sign for household financial resilience.
- Mexico Renews Voluntary PACIC Basket Pact at MXN 910 Target
Mexico's consumer agency Profeco reported that on Sept. 28, the 24-item basket ranged from MXN 739.90 at Mega Soriana La Diana in Acapulco to MXN 911.77 at Ley Juventud in Durango, against a pact target of MXN 910; the figures do not show whether the pact lowered overall food costs. Mexico renewed the voluntary PACIC pact on May 29 with 32 supplier and supermarket companies for six months, keeping the target unchanged. The finance ministry (SHCP) announced PACIC on May 4, 2022 to stabilize prices of 24 basic products and boost domestic food production, allowing companies to choose brands and formats. INEGI data show food, beverages and tobacco made up 34.9% of household spending in 2025, though this survey does not measure the pact's effect. A separate federal decree extended tariff exemptions for selected basic goods through Dec. 31, 2026.
- Reserve Bank and interest rates : Food inflation is a bigger issue than oil and the RBA knows it
The opinion piece argues that food inflation is a bigger problem than oil for the Reserve Bank (RBA), which already knows it. Cocoa prices have almost doubled since February, rising above US$5,600 a tonne after heavy rain in Ivory Coast disrupted harvests, while rice is up 63%, wheat 31%, and oats and sugar more than 30%. Oil prices jumped after the war against Iran, and fertiliser has risen more than 30% since June. The author also points to government spending as adding to demand pressure, and argues that higher interest rates will do little to lower food prices while hitting the lowest-income households hardest.
- Global food prices face fresh surge as supply shocks pile up
Global food inflation is expected to accelerate in the coming months and persist into 2027, as war-related shipping disruptions, higher farming costs, and El Niño-driven drought add pressure on supplies. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 136 points in September, its highest level since November 2022. Rice prices in Indonesia hit record highs, sugar in India reached an all-time high, and wheat prices have climbed more than 30% in 2026. Food prices outpaced headline inflation in 22% of the 150 countries analyzed by the World Bank in the September quarter, up from 14% in the previous quarter. With global grain stocks weakening as a buffer, the return of major importers to the market could push prices up more sharply.
- Global food prices face fresh surge as supply shocks pile up
Global food inflation is expected to accelerate in the coming months and persist into 2027, driven by war-related shipping disruptions, higher farming costs and El Niño-driven drought. Rice prices in Indonesia reached record highs, and sugar in India hit an all-time high after the weakest monsoon in more than a decade. Food prices outpaced headline inflation in 22% of the 150 countries the World Bank analyzed in the September quarter, up from 14%, and the FAO Food Price Index averaged 136 points in September, its highest since November 2022. Wheat has climbed more than 30% in 2026 and freight rates on some key routes have risen about 50%, while the war on Iran has pushed up fuel prices and disrupted fertilizer exports through the Strait of Hormuz. The FAO says record grain stocks, which have cushioned prices, are coming under pressure as importers return to the market.
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- Financial System Report (October 2026)
The Bank of Japan's October 2026 Financial System Report assesses that the system remains broadly stable: banks have enough capital and stable funding to withstand a global financial crisis-level stress or a compound shock of higher oil prices, weaker AI expectations and a sharp rise in interest rates. Close monitoring is warranted for the Middle East, the profitability and financing of AI investment, and foreign non-bank financial intermediaries (NBFIs). Stock prices remain above trend, though P/E ratios are broadly around their average levels since 2008 as expected earnings rise. Longer term, declining loan demand from population decline could weaken bank profits and loss-absorbing capacity, raising the risk of either contraction or overheating in lending. The report also examines the effects of energy and raw material prices and rate hikes on SMEs and households, and cybersecurity threats from frontier AI.
- If the AI Bubble Bursts, These Stocks Will Be Winners
AI-linked stocks fell again: CoreWeave dropped to its lowest level since shortly after its IPO as its bond yields reached as high as 15%, the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.6% on Thursday, and Meta tumbled 7% despite strong earnings after posting its first quarter of negative free cash flow in its history amid surging AI infrastructure spending. The 10-year yield fell 3.8% to 4.95%, its first time below 5% in a month, and is down 7% over two weeks, which may reflect a shift from stocks into bonds. Homebuilder stocks rose, with the State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) up 3.8%, and Pool Corporation, RH, and Lennar gaining 14.4%, 9.5%, and 9%. Investors now see a 93% chance the Fed holds rates at 375-400 basis points, after weak September jobs growth and cooler-than-expected August PCE inflation. The author sees this as another sign that investors are looking for the next set of winners after AI.
- Alkane Resources - Quarterly Report - September 2026
Alkane Resources' quarterly report for the September 2026 quarter (Q1 FY27) shows gold-equivalent production of 40,740 AuEq oz at an AISC of $2,805/AuEq oz, with mine operating cash flow of $102 million and gold-equivalent sales of 38,348 oz generating $206 million in revenue at an average gold price of $5,128/oz. The company reaffirmed FY27 production guidance of 163-177koz gold equivalent at an AISC of $2,900-$3,200 per ounce. Cash, bullion and listed investments totalled $459 million after $13 million in income tax payments, with final FY26 income tax payments of $55-60 million expected in the December quarter. Alkane paid its maiden fully franked dividend of 2 cents per share and approved a $50 million buyback in September 2026. CEO Nic Earner said AISC came in below the full-year cost guidance range.
- SSI forecasts when PNJ's profit will return to the VND 1,000 billion mark
SSI forecasts PNJ's net revenue at VND 39,100 billion in 2026, VND 43,400 billion in 2027 and VND 57,700 billion in 2029, while after-tax profit is forecast at minus VND 6,300 billion in 2026, rising to VND 1,200 billion in 2028. The company holds large inventory, with diamonds making up 52%, and may need to set aside additional provisions for inventory write-downs if gold prices fall. Under SSI's estimated scenario, PNJ's additional repurchase obligation could be about VND 16,800 billion; to ease short-term liquidity pressure, the company plans to issue up to 550 million shares to raise VND 8,000 billion. Preliminary Q3/2026 results show a net loss of VND 258 billion, compared with a profit of VND 496 billion a year earlier. SSI continues to keep PNJ's stock at “Under review”.
- Ethereum delays Glamsterdam Hoodi testnet launch over security risks
Ethereum has postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet, originally scheduled for Oct. 26, so developers can examine how EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 interact with deployed smart contracts. ChainSecurity warned that the two proposals could weaken safeguards against insufficient gas griefing, potentially letting contracts permanently record failed operations and blocking otherwise valid user actions. The firm said it identified 13 real-world examples of potentially affected contracts and is coordinating responsible disclosure with the projects involved, without naming them. Security researcher pcaversaccio called the risks “serious” in an Oct. 21 GitHub comment and urged a reassessment of the hard fork. The mainnet timeline, which developers had been considering for early December, is now uncertain.
- Proposed 0.2% tax on idle land and land left unused or slow to be put to use
On the morning of October 23, the National Assembly heard the government's proposal and the review report on draft amendments to several tax laws, including the Law on Non-Agricultural Land Use Tax. The government proposes a 0.2% tax rate, with no area limit, for idle land and land that is not or is slowly being put to use, to institutionalize Resolution 21-NQ/TW. The Economic and Financial Committee agrees in principle but says the proposal conflicts with the current law, which applies 0.15% to unused land, and with the draft amended Land Law. It warns of possible double financial obligations for investment projects that leave land unused or slow to use it, and asks the drafting agency to clarify the basis, timeline and relationship with land use fees and land rental payments.
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