Let the debt-limit jitters begin — again.

Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday that it could put the US’s top-notch “AAA” sovereign rating on review for a possible downgrade if lawmakers fail to raise the country’s debt limit in a timely manner.

Venezuelan bonds slid on Wednesday on a report that the US government was considering banning trading in the securities by regulated financial groups.

City Football Group, the parent company of Manchester City, has taken a major stake in Spanish side Girona, in a deal that extends the English Premier League club’s strategy of acquiring other football teams across the world.

American Eagle Outfitters and Express gave the battered teen apparel sector a much-needed pick-me-up on Wednesday after the two retailers delivered better-than-expected second-quarter sales.

Russia’s largest oil company Rosneft is due Rbs 136bn ($2.3bn) in compensation from private conglomerate Sistema, a court ordered on Wednesday, after ruling Sistema had stripped assets from an oil producer now controlled by Rosneft.

US crude stockpiles notched their eighth straight weekly decline, albeit smaller than last week’s draw, largely erasing gains in the US oil price.

Bill Gates remains the richest tech billionaire in the world, fighting off competition from Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, who was briefly the world’s wealthiest person following a surge in the online retailer’s share price in July.

Whole Foods shareholders have approved Amazon’s $13.7bn takeover, taking the deal one-step closer to completion.

Barclays is advising clients to hedge against the risk of a decline in US financial stocks given their vulnerability to further setbacks to Donald Trump’s pro-growth policy agenda.

Sales of newly built homes unexpectedly fell by the most since in nearly a year in July.

Shares in Game Digital rocketed on Wednesday after the company said it had ended its financial year with a stronger than expected balance sheet and announced new plans to focus its business on the rapidly-growing e-sports market.

Mexican retail sales unexpectedly ground to a near halt in June, dealing a blow to policymakers who have been counting on private consumption as a key pillar of support for the economy in recent months.

US stocks are set to break their two day winning streak on Wednesday, with futures pointing to a lower opening after President Trump injected fresh uncertainty into the markets by threatening to shut down the government and pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Germany’s central bank has completed its plan to shift 54,000 gold bars from vaults in New York and Paris to beneath its Frankfurt headquarters without a major glitch.

The British government has called for the creation of a new legal dispute resolution mechanism that would end the direct role of EU courts in the UK after Brexit.

Archer Daniels Midland has increased its stake in Wilmar International of Singapore continuing its move to gain more exposure to food demand growth in Asia.

The slide in WPP’s shares showed no sign of abating by late morning on Wednesday, and the company’s warning about weak advertising spending weighed on the wider European media sector.

Lowe’s shares declined in pre-market New York trading after the US home improvement chain disclosed adjusted quarterly profits that missed expectations, contrasting with upbeat results from its bigger rival Home Depot.

The commander of the US Seventh Fleet has been relieved of duties just three days after a fatal collision between a guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker.

The diverging economic outlook for the UK and the eurozone has driven the single currency to its strongest level in eight years against sterling.

EnQuest was among the biggest fallers on the FTSE all-share index in early trading on Wednesday after it took an axe to its full year production guidance, fuelled by disappointing volumes so far from its key oil field in the North Sea.

Inflation in South Africa fell further than expected for a second month in a row in July, supporting the central bank’s recent decision to cut interest rates in an effort to pull Africa’s most industrialised economy out of recession.

Economic activity in the eurozone has picked up in August after a disappointing July, with a strong performance in the manufacturing sector offsetting a slight decline in the services industry, according to a series of closely-watched surveys.

The common currency shed its losses and rose against the dollar on Wednesday morning on the back of optimistic readings on how the bloc’s two biggest economies performed this month.