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By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer

Wendy’s is closing several hundred U.S. restaurants and increasing its focus on value after a weaker-than-expected fourth quarter.

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The Dublin, Ohio-based company said Friday that its global same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 10% in the October-December period. That was worse than the 8.5% drop expected by analysts polled by FactSet.

U.S. same-store sales fell even further in the fourth quarter. Wendy’s said late last year that it planned to close underperforming U.S. restaurants, but it gave more details about those closures Friday. read more

CAIRO (AP) — Dubai has announced a new chairman for DP World, one of the world’s largest logistics companies, replacing the outgoing head who was named in the Jeffrey Epstein documents.

The announcement by the government’s Dubai Media Office did not specifically name Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. However, it said that Essa Kazim was named DP World’s chairman and Yuvraj Narayan was named group CEO. Those were positions held by bin Sulayem.

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DP World is a logistics giant that runs the Jebel Ali port in Dubai and operates terminals in other ports around the world. It has long been a pillar of the economy of the Middle Eastern city. read more

Amazon’s smart doorbell maker Ring has terminated a partnership with police surveillance tech company Flock Safety.

The announcement follows a backlash that erupted after 30-second Ring ad that aired during the Super Bowl featuring a lost dog that is found through a network of cameras, sparking fears of a dystopian surveillance society.

But that feature, called Search Party, was not related to Flock. And Ring’s announcement doesn’t cite the ad as a reason for the “joint decision” for the cancellation.

Ring and Flock said last year they were planning on working together to give Ring camera owners the option to share their video footage in response to law enforcement requests made through a Ring feature known as Community Requests.

“Following a comprehensive review, we determined the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated,” Ring’s statement said.

“The integration never launched, so no Ring customer videos were ever sent to Flock Safety.” read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press Business Writer

Cocoa prices have fallen nearly 70% since last Valentine’s Day, but that won’t make heart-shaped boxes of chocolate or even chocolate Easter bunnies more affordable this year.

Chocolate prices at U.S. retail stores rose 14% between Jan. 1 and the first week of February compared to the same period last year, according to market research company Datasembly. That’s on top of a 7.8% increase for the same period in 2025.

Europe has seen even steeper price increases. In Germany, chocolate prices rose 18.9% in 2025, according to government figures.

Here’s what caused the price of cocoa futures to rise and then fall — and why that may not be reflected in the prices customers are paying.

Cocoa, climate and cost

Cocoa prices more than doubled in 2024 due to insufficient rainfall and crop diseases in West Africa, which supplies more than 70% of the world’s cocoa. Cocoa, which is made from the dried beans of the cacao tree, is the main ingredient in both dark and white chocolate. read more

By Kate Ashford, NerdWallet

If you use streaming services for videos or video games, you might have noticed some higher prices — or “streamflation” — on your credit card bills.

While monthly inflation was only 0.3% in December, the category of “subscription and rental of video and video games” saw prices increase 19.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This includes streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and Hulu, which all boosted subscription prices last year. (It does not include live streaming television.)

Why streaming prices are outpacing inflation

The jump in cost is due, in part, to the evolution of the streaming industry, says Paul Erickson, principal media and entertainment analyst for Omdia, a tech research and advisory group.

During the pandemic, Erickson says, streaming companies prioritized subscriber growth above all else. Now that streaming audiences are largely stable, companies are under more pressure to be profitable and sustainable.

“We have this drive for better profitability and business performance, teamed up with the rising cost of content,” Erickson says. “By and large, the cost of content is always upward.” read more