The Trump administration said it had “profound concern” about Ford’s alleged links to Chinese technology and manufacturing, including relationships with companies such as battery maker CATL. It also criticized Ford for delaying plans to move production of some Lincoln models from China to the United States until 2030. Ford rejected the allegations, saying a Michigan battery facility has created 1,700 jobs and that its arrangement with CATL is a limited technology-licensing deal. Experts told CNN that Chinese automakers could appear in U.S. showrooms within the next five to 10 years.

Athleisure brand Lululemon reported its latest results showing North America sales down 12% year on year, while sales of its core yoga pants slid 20%. The company cut its full-year guidance for the second time in three months, sending the stock down about 20% in a single session to an eight-year low. Incoming CEO Heidi O’Neill is set to take the helm as the brand grapples with softening demand and slowing growth.

The Dutch central bank said Wednesday it has relocated 86 metric tons of gold from North America as it prepares for potential crises amid global political unrest. Between March and August, it moved part of the gold held in New York and Ottawa to London, while more than 27 metric tons were physically transferred to a heavily guarded vault at a military base near Zeist in the Netherlands. After the move, the shares of Dutch gold held in New York and Ottawa both fell to 18.5%. The central bank holds 612.4 metric tons of gold, valued at 72.2 billion euros at the end of 2025.

Ford is rolling out the Fathom, a new electric pickup priced at $28,350, after spending more than $5 billion on development. The model was initially priced at $40,000 before rising to nearly $60,000, and the federal tax credit has been eliminated. A rival pickup starts at $28,145 and sold about 155,000 units last year.

The US average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.66%, the highest level in a year, after jumping 8 basis points in a week for its biggest increase in 10 weeks. Over the same period, the PCE price index ran at 3.7% year on year, down 0.1 percentage point from the prior month but still well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation goal. The report links mortgage rates to the 10-year Treasury yield, which is influenced by inflation expectations. It says the move is adding pressure to housing affordability, mortgage-backed assets and parts of the financial sector that rely on a low-rate environment.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a proposed airworthiness directive citing incorrectly installed passenger seats on hundreds of U.S.-registered Boeing 737 MAX jets, covering 453 aircraft. The agency said the issue could cause passenger injuries during an emergency landing if not corrected. Up to 69 track-mounted seat assemblies on each plane may need inspection, and repairs are estimated at about one workhour per assembly, according to the FAA. The FAA did not specify how quickly airlines must address the problem, and Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A lull in US-Iran airstrikes has failed to ease pressure on key shipping lanes, as Iran-backed Houthi forces attacked Saudi-linked tankers in the Red Sea and threatened to blockade the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to fewer than 10 ships over the weekend, down from more than 100 a day before the war, according to shipping data tracked by CNN. Brent and WTI each fell more than 6% in a single session even as US equity index futures pointed higher. The moves underscored market concern that supply risks are shifting from a tactical pause in fighting to broader, longer-lasting disruptions.

The US Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, allowing the company to restore access for overseas users. The restrictions were imposed after Amazon identified a jailbreak that could bypass Fable’s safety guardrails, prompting an emergency suspension of foreign use. Anthropic said the controls were removed after it worked with the government to strengthen protections, though it did not disclose the specific technical changes.

A survey by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) found that 51% of central banks plan to increase gold reserves, a record high, citing rising geopolitical risk and concerns about the stability of the international monetary system. Over the same period, the dollar’s share of reserves fell to a 20-year low, while the euro and the renminbi gained appeal. The results point to stronger systemic demand for safe havens that is supporting gold allocations and price momentum.