Author: Sara Simmons
Sara Simmons
Sara writes the pieces that don't fit into a news cycle — the deep investigations and sprawling narrative features that take weeks instead of hours. She spent years as a general assignment reporter before longform became her full-time focus, chasing the kinds of stories that needed more room to breathe. Her work often crosses categories, pulling threads from finance, politics, and industry into a single narrative. When she's not buried in a draft, she's usually rereading Joan Didion for the tenth time.
NEW YORK CITY [Markets Desk]: German companies sharply reduced their investments in the United States during the first half of 2026, bringing direct investment to its lowest level in three years as trade uncertainty under the Trump administration continued to reshape transatlantic business decisions. Data compiled by the German Economic Institute (IW) from Germany’s central bank showed that German direct investment in the U.S. fell to €4.3 billion ($5 billion) between January and June. That represents a decline of nearly two-thirds from the same period in 2025 and almost 80% below the level recorded in the first half of 2024.…
WASHINGTON DC (BE USA Team): Applied Materials came under pressure in premarket trading on Friday, with its shares declining around 5% despite issuing a stronger-than-expected revenue forecast for the upcoming quarter. The reaction underscored growing investor expectations across the semiconductor sector, where companies benefiting from the artificial intelligence boom are increasingly judged not only on strong earnings but also on whether they are expanding faster than their competitors. The chip equipment manufacturer expects revenue of approximately $10.25 billion for its fiscal fourth quarter ending in October, comfortably exceeding the market consensus estimate of $9.54 billion. The company also projected its gross margin to…
SHANGHAI (TECH/BUSINESS DESK, AUG 14): DeepSeek’s latest flagship AI model debuts with significantly higher pricing than V4 Flash, reflecting enhanced reasoning capabilities, stronger benchmark performance and the company’s push to strengthen its commercial position amid intensifying competition. DeepSeek has officially introduced its V4 Pro artificial intelligence model, positioning it as a premium offering with prices that are substantially higher than its V4 Flash model as the Chinese AI startup looks to monetize improvements in performance and advanced capabilities. The newly released V4-Pro-0813 model is priced at $1.32 per million input tokens and $3.96 per million output tokens, according to benchmarking firm Artificial Analysis.…
TOKYO (BE Correspondent, Aug 14): The Bank of Japan is preparing for a potential interest rate increase as early as September, with policymakers also debating whether to accelerate the pace of future monetary tightening amid mounting inflationary pressures, according to people familiar with the central bank’s thinking. Officials are increasingly convinced that persistent price pressures, sustained weakness in the yen and robust global demand linked to artificial intelligence are creating conditions that warrant a faster policy response than previously anticipated. One person familiar with the discussions said a September rate increase has become a realistic possibility, pointing to the central…
NEW YORK (Business Emerge): U.S. authorities have agreed to conduct a fresh review of National Institutes of Health research grant applications that were paused or denied following a change in internal funding policy. The agreement follows legal action brought by academic researchers and several U.S. states challenging the handling of those applications. Under the settlement terms, the review process will resume for proposals affected during the dispute, while leaving final funding decisions with the agency. The agreement was reached on Monday after months of court proceedings involving the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health.…
HANGZHOU (Business Emerge): Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Leapmotor stated that it has set a long-term objective to reach annual vehicle sales exceeding four million units within the next ten years. The company shared this update during a business briefing in its home city, outlining production scale, product positioning, and international expansion as central elements of the plan. The update was delivered by senior management in Hangzhou, where the company is headquartered and conducts core engineering and manufacturing activities. Leapmotor confirmed that the growth roadmap includes domestic market consolidation and overseas market entry through structured partnerships. The company also indicated that…
Washington DC (Business Emerge): Hedge funds increased selling activity across United States healthcare stocks last week, marking the first instance in more than three months where sales exceeded purchases, as market participants adjusted positions ahead of a scheduled change in health insurance subsidies that affects millions of policyholders. The shift took place during the week ended December 20 and involved hedge funds reducing exposure to healthcare providers, services companies, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms operating in the United States. Market data showed that trading activity was concentrated in listed healthcare companies, with selling pressure outweighing new investments across most segments…
WASHINGTON DC (Business Emerge): The United States government has initiated a formal process to adjust how marijuana is treated under federal law, following an executive order signed this week that instructs the attorney general to advance a review of its current classification. The directive sets in motion steps that could place marijuana in a category defined as presenting lower risk compared to its existing status. The executive order, signed in Washington on Wednesday, asks the Department of Justice to work through established procedures to reconsider marijuana’s position under the Controlled Substances Act. Senior officials confirmed that the process would involve…
NEW YORK (Business Emerge): Amazon is engaged in discussions to make a significant financial investment in OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT. The talks involve a potential contribution of around $10 billion and could result in OpenAI being valued at more than $500 billion. The discussions are ongoing and remain subject to change, as the terms have not been finalized. The talks are taking place between senior representatives of both companies and relate to a broader relationship that already includes cloud computing arrangements. The discussions are private and no formal agreement has been announced. Neither company has issued a…
NEW YORK (Business Emerge): Kraft Heinz announced a change in its top leadership, naming Steve Cahillane as its next chief executive as the company moves forward with plans to separate its operations into two independent businesses. The company said the appointment will take effect on January 1. Cahillane will succeed Carlos Abrams Rivera, who is scheduled to remain with the company in an advisory capacity until March 6. Along with assuming the chief executive role, Cahillane will join the board of directors as part of the transition. The leadership change follows the company’s September announcement that it intends to divide…
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