UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will open the General Assembly in New York on Tuesday for the last time before his term ends on December 31. Guterres will be followed at the podium by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. Follow our live blog for the latest developments.
New York: The corporate bond market is increasingly splitting into two camps, with investors showing greater caution towards debt issued by AI-related companies while continuing to enthusiastically back more traditional issuers such as financial and industrial firms. According to portfolio managers and market analysts, concerns are not centred on the creditworthiness of major technology companies. Instead, investors are focused on the unprecedented scale and uncertainty of borrowing required to finance data centres, semiconductors and AI infrastructure. Goldman Sachs estimates that gross debt issuance by hyperscalers could reach a record $420 billion in 2027, representing a 60 per cent increase compared with 2026 forecasts. By comparison, overall US corporate bond issuance rose 30 per cent year-on-year to $1.9 trillion through August, according to data from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. "We're being very selective in terms of how we invest within hyperscaler debt," said Colby Stilson, Head of Fixed Income at Brown Advisory. "Our degree of investment conviction needs to be very high because of the coming supply and because of the lack of visibility into that return on invested capital," he said. Investors look beyond AI Market participants say many investors are increasingly directing money towards sectors outside the AI ecosystem. Loren Moran, fixed-income portfolio manager at Wellington Management, pointed to recent pharmaceutical and insurance acquisition financings that attracted strong investor demand with little or no pricing concessions. While investors still have substantial cash available to deploy, many are seeking opportunities away from large technology issuers heavily exposed to AI spending. The contrast was evident in recent debt offerings. Google parent Alphabet reportedly had to offer significant pricing concessions during an August bond sale, while insurance broker Aon's $13.5 billion acquisition financing attracted approximately $65 billion in orders. Strong demand enabled Aon to tighten pricing on its 30-year bonds by 35 basis points, highlighting investor appetite for less heavily supplied sectors. AI bonds trade at wider spreads As borrowing by hyperscalers, chipmakers and data-centre operators continues to increase, investors have demanded wider spreads to absorb the growing supply. According to Goldman Sachs data, AI-related issuers are trading at spreads of around 115 basis points, compared with 78 basis points for the broader investment-grade market, according to ICE BofA figures. Lon Erickson, portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management, said debt issued by companies such as Meta Platforms and Alphabet has consistently traded at wider levels than similarly rated peers, despite their strong balance sheets and cash generation. The additional yield reflects expectations that these companies will continue to return to the bond market as AI-related capital expenditure grows. "Investors are only able to digest so much, so fast," Erickson said. Concentration concerns emerging Beyond pricing, investors are becoming more conscious of concentration risk. Some institutional investors are approaching internal limits on exposure to individual companies once debt issued through related structures, including data-centre financing vehicles, is combined with existing holdings. Analysts say many investors also want flexibility in case enthusiasm for AI investments begins to cool. Rather than taking large positions today, some are opting to preserve capital in anticipation of potentially higher yields in future issues. Nick Elfner, co-head of research at Breckinridge Capital Advisors, noted that some hyperscaler deals have attracted lower levels of demand than investors typically expect from large, high-profile issuers. He added that several transactions have traded poorly after issuance, contributing to investor caution. Credit quality remains strong Despite the growing selectivity, market participants emphasise that concerns are focused on supply rather than financial strength. Russell Brownback, Deputy Chief Investment Officer for Global Fixed Income at BlackRock, said wider spreads among AI-related companies reflect basic supply-and-demand dynamics rather than deteriorating credit quality. Companies continue to borrow because they believe returns from AI investments will exceed financing costs, while investors are receiving yields more commonly associated with lower-rated issuers despite lending to highly rated companies. For now, bond investors appear less concerned about the ability of hyperscalers to repay debt and more focused on managing exposure amid an unprecedented wave of AI-related borrowing. "There are a lot of investors that just want something other than hyperscaler debt for now," said Wellington's Moran. "The market is a bit starved for anything ex-hyperscaler."
Zelenskyy began his New York visit by meeting US senators, thanking them for what he called strong bipartisan support and for recently passing a tougher Russian sanctions bill that Trump has signed into law.
Euronews22 Sept
Here’s a look at what the 193-member United Nations does and how it works as leaders convene in New York for the annual General Assembly.
The New York Times•The New York Times22 Sept
In a wide-ranging interview, the New York congresswoman offered her most detailed insight yet into how she is thinking about a possible presidential run.
The New York Times•Shane Goldmacher22 Sept
After a sprawling world tour, Praxis, a New York-based, crypto-backed “digital nation,” has signed a deal to build a physical city in Uruguay.
The New York Times•Emma Bubola and Sarah Pabst22 Sept
PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC; Remedy A surprisingly conventional game from a famously weird developer, this sequel to 2019’s Control is accomplished but safe This is an arthouse action game from Finnish developer Remedy, masters of exactly this type of thing. It’s a sequel, however, so not only must it clear the high bar that its strikingly distinctive predecessor has set – it must also ideally arrive with a bushel of new ideas. There are clear and valuable strengths here in character progression and the lustrous presentation of its paranormal world, but Resonant doesn’t feel as enjoyably recondite or expansive in its influences as 2019’s Control did. As you wander New York brandishing supernatural abilities against glowing orange foes, the sad sense creeps in that you might be playing any number of games. As paranormal event survivor Jesse Faden, your journey through the original Control was like a sequence of playable Twilight Zone episodes, battling prosaic household objects with supernatural properties that teased and twisted reality inside an endlessly fascinating supernatural government bureau called the Oldest House. You’d navigate architecturally impossible spaces bridging the subconscious and the bricks-and-mortar world, in order to defeat a malevolent fridge. That’s broadly true again in Resonant, albeit with diminishing returns. This time you’re playing as Jesse’s brother Dylan, waking up after years of containment in the Oldest House to find its contents have escaped into downtown Manhattan. So you head out of the interesting place, and into a setting you’ve explored before in Marvel’s Spider-Man , The Division , Max Payne , and others ad infinitum. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Phil Iwaniuk22 Sept
World leaders have begun gathering in New York for the UN General Assembly. US President Trump will address the body on Tuesday, as will his Finnish, French and Turkish counterparts. Follow DW for the latest.
Deutsche Welle22 Sept
Burnham is heading to New York for the United Nations general assembly Good morning. Andy Burnham is at the United Nations general assembly today and in a speech to the world (or, technically, to people in the hall and anyone watching on TV at around 2am UK time), he will say that Britain is not “on the slide”. Speaking to reporters on the plane to New York, Burnham said: The plan for Britain is about ‘what is our direction over the next 10 years and how do we make life more affordable for people’. That is my main priority, that’s what people are looking for. I hear people saying the country is on the slide – we’re the fastest growing in the G7, there’s lots to be proud of, there’s a lot right with the country and I’m going to give a really upbeat message when I speak. Government sources told the Guardian that Burnham would try to pursue a “third way” in his relationship with the US president, neither as adversarial as the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, nor as publicly fawning as [Keir] Starmer’s early approach, and relying on the strength of his personality. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Andrew Sparrow22 Sept
Overnight missile and drone attacks hit several Ukrainian regions as world leaders gather in New York, US.
Al Jazeera22 Sept
There's the inroads of the far right, but also the broader desire for change. Introducing Berlin's answer to Zohran Mamdani: Elif Eralp, who led the far-left Die Linke party's historic win in Sunday's municipal elections in Berlin. We ask if the 45-year-old daughter of Turkish political exiles can push through her promises of rent freezes and nationalisation of private real estate companies. Just like in New York last year, affordable housing was a hot-button issue. It didn't hurt that her party ran a social media-savvy campaign.
Donald Trump and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the dispute over TV networks’ boycott during a joint press appearance at Gracie Mansion.
Euronews22 Sept
French President Emmanuel Macron crosses busy New York streets to Trump Tower for talks with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Euronews22 SeptPublished at 0000PDT / 0700GMT 22SEP26 Norse Atlantic earlier this month filed additional service changes for Northern winter 2026/27 season, as the carrier suspends service to New York. Affected routes include the following. London Gatwick – New York JFK 25OCT26 – 27MAR27 3 weekly service suspended (Norse UK) Rome Fiumicino – New York JFK 25OCT26 – 27MAR27 3 weekly service suspended (Norse Atlantic)
Polymarket has stepped up talks with European and UK regulators as the prediction market platform seeks financial services oversight for its contracts instead of being regulated primarily under national gambling laws. According to the Financial Times, the New York based…
In New York, the prime minister will also deliver a speech to the UN General Assembly expected to be focused on AI.
BBC22 Sept
Trump and Zelenskyy are set to discuss ending the war on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In Brussels, EU Ambassadors have failed to agree on extending Russia sanctions that are set to expire today. We also break down Macron and Trump's recent meeting in New York.
Euronews22 Sept
William Meyers spent 25 years photographing New York – and noticed how small, everyday acts of civic engagement helped sustain the nation. He talks us through his favourite images Continue reading...
The Guardian•Guardian Staff22 Sept
Marking the opening of the 81st UN General Assembly, Crisis Group experts discuss challenges facing the UN’s efforts to promote international peace and security. This page includes updates from the High-Level Week in New York and recent Crisis Group coverage of the UN.
In today’s newsletter: Intelligence chiefs warn that Russia’s appetite for risk is growing, as sabotage and other covert attacks target countries supporting Ukraine Good morning. As the UN general assembly kicks off in New York later today, we anticipate a heavy focus on the ongoing conflicts in Iran, Ukraine and the Gulf – as well as the inevitable body language analysis of Andy Burnham’s first in-person meeting with Donald Trump. But another related conflict is likely to dominate informal discussions: the intensifying acts of sabotage on European states that are believed to trace back to Russia but deliberately fall below the threshold for military response – a so-called hybrid or “shadow war” with the singular purpose of disrupting support for Ukraine. Yemen | The UK has agreed to provide defensive air support to Saudi Arabia to help counter Houthi fighters and restore stability in the Middle East while driving down the cost of living at home, Andy Burnham has said, ahead of his first meeting with Donald Trump. Environment | The “jaw-dropping” El Niño currently heating up the planet has burst through the highest temperature ever recorded for the phenomenon, several months before its expected peak. Gaza | Israeli and UK military commanders could be requested to give evidence to an inquest concerning three British aid workers killed in Gaza when aid vehicles they were travelling in were hit by an airstrike. US | After President Trump’s snap decision to ban CNN from the White House, the four other networks that comprise the White House’s TV pool decided they would cease their pooled coverage of the president. Slavery | Bones of the enslaver Edward Colston are likely to remain interred in a church in Bristol if and when the currently unused building is given a new lease of life as a community resource, it has emerged. Continue reading...
The Guardian•Libby Brooks22 Sept