Global – October 17, 2026 -- Typhoon-driven congestion and elevated fuel costs could set a higher floor for container rates before the pre-Lunar New Year rush begins, according to Freightos Group's latest Global Freight Outlook webinar, hosted by Head of Research Judah Levine.

Far East and North Europe backlogs could take months to clear

Typhoon-driven backlogs in the Far East persist, and congestion at key North European hubs is lingering. The backups could take months to unwind completely. Together with high fuel costs, they could keep upward pressure on rates.

Red Sea returns advance as Houthi–Saudi escalation adds risk

All the container alliances plus MSC will send some vessels through the Red Sea by the end of the month. However, the sharp Houthi–Saudi escalation in recent days, including missile strikes on Riyadh, raises the risk of renewed attacks on container vessels. Such attacks could reverse the progress.

Global – October 17, 2026 -- Asia-N. Europe container rates fell 2-3% last week to $3,260 per FEU, and Asia-Mediterranean rates fell to $3,555 per FEU, as carriers send more vessels through the Red Sea. Rates on both lanes have slid since mid-July, according to the Freightos Baltic Index.

Premier Alliance to resume some Red Sea services this month

The Premier Alliance, the last holdout among the three alliances and MSC, announced that some services will resume Red Sea transits this month. Carriers have been gradually adding Red Sea traffic despite elevated regional tension. The shorter route lifts effective capacity, which Freightos names as a likely contributor to the Asia-Europe rate decline.

Global – October 17, 2026 -- Asia-Mediterranean container prices rose 7% to $3,800/FEU last week, about 70% above year-ago levels, as repeated Houthi missile attacks on Riyadh airport raised the risk of renewed Red Sea strikes just as shippers enter 2027 contract tendering, according to the Freightos Baltic Index.

Saudi airport attacks close Riyadh and disrupt other hubs

Multiple Houthi missile attacks since late last week shut down airport operations in Riyadh. Interceptions at Dammam airport and attacks on other airports caused further disruptions and cancellations. Saudi Arabia has promised retaliation.

United States – – October 17, 2026 -- Seventy percent of Americans buy food or drinks from fast food restaurants at least once a month, and 30% do so weekly, according to YouGov's Best Bites 2026: U.S. restaurant brand rankings.

Younger, middle-income diners drive weekly fast food demand

Of weekly fast food diners, 51% are under 45 and 49% live in middle-income households. Value and discount menus are the biggest drivers of visits, followed by a clean dining environment.

Taco Bell takes 30.3% of votes for best tacos and burritos

Taco Bell leads its category by nearly 10 points over Chipotle, the widest margin among the categories YouGov highlights.

Burgers are a much tighter race. Five Guys leads with 15.5% of Americans naming it best for burgers, just ahead of Burger King at 15.0% and In-N-Out Burger at 12.1%.

National Harbor, Maryland – October 17, 2026 -- Five Guys will award $100,000 to the winner of its Five Guys Games final on May 13 at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Maryland, closing a six-month internal contest open to the chain's 50,000 employees.

Three timed events decide the $100,000 grand prize

Finalists compete in a potato race, a cheese stack race and a QC wrapping race. The Five Guys Training Team judges the events, watching and timing each competitor for speed and accuracy.

The Olympic-style contest began as an idea from the Murrell family to reward store crew members. Crew members, managers and general managers have competed through store, regional and semifinal rounds.

Alexandria, Va. – October 17, 2026 -- Jonathan Martinez of Kingston, New York, won the 2026 Five Guys Games and took home a tax-free $100,000 check, headlining a finale that closed the burger chain's 40th Anniversary Conference at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Maryland.

Eight finalists compete across three speed-and-accuracy events

Eight finalists went head-to-head on May 13 in three events: the potato race, the cheese race and the dressing/QC race. Each event tests speed, skill and accuracy. Every finalist received at least $10,000.

Jackson Chimbay of Wallkill, New York, placed second and won $50,000. Peter Le of Derry, New Hampshire, took third and $25,000.

The remaining finalists were Joshua Harvey of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Jose Once of Spring Valley, New York; Carson Tate of Kingsport, Tennessee; Enock Akuwure of Liverpool, UK; and Aurelien Favreau of Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Arlington – October 17, 2026 -- Five Guys has earned its ninth successive Great Place To Work® certification, with 82% of Five Guys Enterprises LLC corporate and store employees calling it a great place to work. That compares with 57% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company, a gap of 25 percentage points.

Survey shows 91% of employees have the resources to do their jobs

The survey results cover corporate staff and company-owned store teams. Employee responses included:

• 91% say they have the equipment and resources to do their job.
• 91% believe Five Guys customers would rate the service as excellent.
• 87% say they are treated as a full member of the team regardless of position.
• 87% say new hires are made to feel welcome.

Employees describe the company as people, team, fun, family and food

Asked to describe Five Guys in their own words, employees gave those five terms as the top responses.

United States – October 17, 2026 -- Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group built the America's Greatest Workplaces 2026 ranking on more than 2.7 million company reviews from more than 179,000 employees, making it one of the largest independent employee studies in the country.

Survey covers companies with more than 1,000 employees across 10 dimensions

The study evaluates employers with more than 1,000 staff on 10 key dimensions of worker satisfaction. It combines a national survey, desk research and third-party data. The survey ran from April 2025 to October 2025.

Results from three earlier studies, conducted between 2022 and 2024, are included at reduced weight. Those studies encompassed more than 4.9 million company reviews and more than 400,000 interviews.

Chicago – October 15, 2026 -- Donnelley Financial Solutions (NYSE: DFIN) will release its third-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, October 29, 2026, via a Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

DFIN schedules 9:00 a.m. Eastern call for analyst questions on Oct. 29

The company will hold a conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time on the same day. Management will discuss the quarterly results, provide a general business update and respond to analyst questions.

Webcast registration opens 15 minutes before the call, replay to follow

A live webcast will be available on DFIN's investor relations website. Participants are asked to visit the site at least fifteen minutes before the start to register and download any necessary audio software.

Toronto – October 17, 2026 -- Only 19% of employees worldwide feel confident using AI tools, according to the 2026 State of Recognition Report from the Achievers Workforce Institute, which argues that timely, specific recognition is missing infrastructure in AI transformation programs.

Employee readiness trails AI deployment on every measured dimension

New AI tools can arrive in weeks, while confidence, clarity and working norms take far longer to develop. The report puts numbers on that gap: 18% of employees have access to AI-enabled training, and 18% feel supported in adapting to AI and technology changes. Only 18% feel informed when changes affect their jobs, and 23% say communication is clear during uncertainty.