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The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, has warned politicians who are “demarketing” Nigeria on social media, stating that such individuals are unfit to lead the country.

Speaking at a Social Media Summit in Abuja on Wednesday, September 18, Fagbemi also restated that President Bola Tinubu is committed to leading the country out of the woods.

“All hands must be on deck in efforts to transform Nigeria into a greater nation devoid of bickering. The government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to leading the country out of the woods.

Just as they say that social media neither sleeps nor slumbers, we must watch our word! Weigh it before you utter it. For, once uttered, it cannot be retrieved.

No individual should use his freedom of speech on social media to infringe upon the rights of another as it is fast becoming the order of the day. We must also be careful of what we say about our country.

Political differences should not make us de-market our country on the international stage. Only unpatriotic citizens or leaders will choose to do so. Those who speak ill of their country to settle political differences should never have the opportunity to lead the same country at any stage,” he said.

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Finally, it's Federal Reserve rate-cut day, with investors eagerly on watch for the size of the U.S.'s first cut in four years; a top European Union (EU) court scrapped a $1.7 billion fine imposed on Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google; the United Auto Workers (UAW) union plans to hold a strike-authorizing vote against Chrysler and Jeep parent Stellantis (STLA); Microsoft (MSFT) is planning to launch a $30 billion artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure fund to build data centers with BlackRock; and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has cleared Alaska Air Group's (ALK) $1.9 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airlines parent Hawaiian Holdings (HA)—with conditions. U.S. stock futures are edging higher ahead of the Fed decision after stocks closed mixed on Tuesday. Here's what investors need to know today.

The Federal Reserve concludes its two-day meeting today, with the central bank widely expected to cut interest rates for the first time in four years as inflation cools toward its 2% annual rate goal. Market participants remain divided on the size of the cut, with some expecting the traditional quarter-point easing and others a reduction of 50 basis points. Fed Chair Jerome Powell's press conference on the trajectory and rationale behind future cuts also will be closely monitored.

Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google scored a legal victory after the EU's General Court overturned a fine of almost 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) imposed in 2019 that alleged the search giant abused its dominant position and restricted rivals’ advertising. The ruling that that the European Commission had "committed errors in its assessment" around the duration of Google's advertising contracts with publishers comes days after the tech firm lost an appeal of a $2.7 billion antitrust fine for favoring its own shopping services. Alphabet shares are up nearly 1% in premarket trading.

Chrysler and Jeep parent Stellantis (STLA) is facing fresh strikes after United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain said the union plans to hold a vote authorizing a walkout after the automaker allegedly abandoned contract commitments it made during a labor deal struck last year. The Big Three automaker was hit by a wave of strikes last year before reaching deals with the UAW. Stellantis shares are up less than 1% in premarket trading.

Microsoft (MSFT) shares are in focus after the tech giant and the world's largest asset manager, BlackRock, announced plans to launch a $30 billion artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure fund to build data centers and energy projects. Microsoft stock closed higher for its seventh consecutive session on Tuesday, with the latest gains coming after the company hiked its quarterly dividend by 10% and approved a $60 billion stock buyback. Microsoft shares are edging higher in premarket trading.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) cleared Alaska Air Group's (ALK) $1.9 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airlines parent Hawaiian Holdings (HA), but with conditions attached aimed at protecting customers. Among those conditions: the two carriers have to maintain several key routes and keep the value of their rewards programs. Shares of both airlines are little changed in premarket trading.

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Men of the Intelligence Response Team have arrested an Abuja-based disc jockey, Raymond Terver, popularly known as DJ Ice, for allegedly purchasing expensive drinks and other goods from a restaurant using fake alerts.

Parading the suspect before newsmen on Monday, September 17, the spokesperson of the Police Force, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the suspect sold the drinks and other goods through intermediaries to conceal his identity.

He said DJ Ice who started the crime in June 2023, met his Waterloo after he purchased drinks from a hotel in August using a fake alert.  He said the suspect made over N8 million from the scheme, which he used to purchase DJ equipment.

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Tupperware Brands (TUP) plans to file for bankruptcy as early as this week, according to a report citing people familiar with the company.

The food-storage maker has been working with lenders on how to deal with its more than $700 million in debt and violated the terms of its loan agreement, the report said. This comes after Tupperware warned last year that certain conditions and events "raise substantial doubt” about its ability to stay in business. 

Several other well-known brands have already bit on the bankruptcy bullet this year. 

Red Lobster declared bankruptcy in June, closing at least 50 locations and asking a judge for permission to shutter 100 more. The seafood chain had been plagued by troubles including questionable management by the private equity firm that owned it and an Endless Shrimp promotion gone wrong, according to reports. It was acquired as part of a restructuring deal earlier this month.

Joann, the fabrics and crafts retailer, filed for bankruptcy in March. A bankruptcy judge approved a restructuring deal that slashed the company’s $505 million in debt and kept open its 815 stores.

Clothing retailer Express filed for bankruptcy in April before being acquired by a consortium led by brand management firm WHP Global. The move came roughly a year after it acquired the Bonobos brand from Walmart (WMT) for $25 billion.

Discount retailer 99 Cents Only declared bankruptcy in April. Nearly 200 of its stores reopened as Dollar Tree (DLTR) locations following bankruptcy proceedings, according to reports.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, the parent company of movie rental service Redbox, filed for bankruptcy in June and revealed it owed millions to more than 500 creditors, including Sony Group (SONY) and Walmart. The company's Chapter 11 case became a Chapter 7 liquidation proceeding in July, shutting down the roughly 24,000 Redbox kiosks in the U.S.

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They’re hearing wedding bells—and cash registers. 

Signet Jewelers (SIG) had been seeing slower-than-usual engagement ring sales. It usually takes about three years between the time a couple meets and gets engaged, Signet CEO Virginia Drosos said Monday, but that timeline was extended by the pandemic, affecting engagements through early 2024.

“But now, we're seeing that come back,” Drosos said. “We've seen it come back a little slower than we expected because of this choppy consumer.” More recently, she said, unit sales of engagement rings are on the rise. 

“We're seeing all the signs of that engagement recovery,” Drosos said during a Monday appearance at a CL King conference, a transcript of which was made available by AlphaSense. 

That helped lift shares of Signet, owner of the Zales and Kay chains, on Tuesday. The stock remains down more than 10% this year, though it recently changed hands at levels last seen about three months ago, lifted recently by an upbeat outlook for the third quarter. 

Drosos offered other reasons for optimism on Monday, including a year-over-year increase in visits to its web sites—though she also said shoppers appear to be more cautious with their buying decisions at present. Executives at jeweler Brilliant Earth (BRLT) said something similar at a Goldman Sachs conference recently, while also reporting higher average selling prices for engagement rings. 

“But they're still moving forward to engagement, which is what we've been waiting for and are excited about,” Drosos said. “It creates a three-year tailwind in our business.”

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JPMorgan Chase (JPM) could take over as the backer of Apple’s (AAPL) credit-card program after the tech giant and Goldman Sachs (GS) moved to part ways last year, according to .

Goldman and Apple have reportedly had discussions with a number of other banks—including Synchrony Financial (SYF), Capital One (COF) and American Express (AXP)—about taking over as the iPhone maker's banking partner.

A deal with J.P. Morgan isn't guaranteed, the Journal reported, with details including what JPMorgan would pay still being discussed. J.P. Morgan declined to comment on the report. Apple didn't immediately respond to Investopedia's request for comment.

The bank reportedly wants to pay "less than the full face value" of the estimated $17 billion of balances across Apple's millions of credit cards, and wants to make other changes to the program that Goldman previously took issue with, like billing dates, which Apple has signaled a willingness to compromise on.

The deal would build on existing partnerships between Apple and JPMorgan Chase, the country's largest bank, including discounts on Apple products for Chase customers and payments to Apple whenever a Chase customer uses one of its cards with Apple Pay, the reported.

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