{"id":53624,"date":"2025-09-25T11:38:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T15:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T11:38:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T15:38:49","slug":"market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/","title":{"rendered":"Market Jitters as CarMax Stumbles, Amazon Settles FTC Suit, and Geopolitical Tensions Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/#CarMax_Shares_Dive_on_%22Challenging%22_Quarter\" >CarMax Shares Dive on &quot;Challenging&quot; Quarter<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/#Amazon_Reaches_25_Billion_FTC_Settlement_Over_Prime_Subscriptions\" >Amazon Reaches $2.5 Billion FTC Settlement Over Prime Subscriptions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/#Google_Faces_Second_EU_Antitrust_Fine_Amid_Trade_Tensions\" >Google Faces Second EU Antitrust Fine Amid Trade Tensions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/#Defense_Secretary_Hegseth_Orders_Urgent_Unexplained_Meeting_of_Top_Military_Leaders\" >Defense Secretary Hegseth Orders Urgent, Unexplained Meeting of Top Military Leaders<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/#Denmark_Reports_%22Hybrid_Attacks%22_as_Drones_Disrupt_Airports\" >Denmark Reports &quot;Hybrid Attacks&quot; as Drones Disrupt Airports<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-jitters-as-carmax-stumbles-amazon-settles-ftc-suit-and-geopolitical-tensions-rise\/53624\/#Other_Key_Developments\" >Other Key Developments<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>CarMax (<a href=\"\/stock\/KMX\">KMX<\/a>) shares plummeted over 12%<\/strong> after its CEO described the latest quarter as &quot;challenging,&quot; with earnings and revenue significantly missing analyst expectations and plans for <strong>$150 million in cost cuts<\/strong> over the next 18 months.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amazon (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMZN\">AMZN<\/a>) has agreed to a historic $2.5 billion settlement<\/strong> with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations that it deceptively enrolled consumers in Prime subscriptions and made cancellations difficult.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) faces a second potential EU antitrust fine<\/strong> in the coming months under the Digital Markets Act, following a recent <strong>\u20ac2.95 billion penalty<\/strong> for abusing its dominance in the ad-tech industry.<\/li>\n<li>U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered an <strong>urgent, unexplained meeting of hundreds of top generals and admirals<\/strong> at a Marine Corps base in Virginia next week, sparking confusion and concern within the military.<\/li>\n<li>Denmark has labeled recent widespread drone incursions that shut down airports as &quot;hybrid attacks,&quot; with the Latvian Foreign Minister suggesting allies were informed a &quot;state actor&quot; was responsible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CarMax_Shares_Dive_on_%22Challenging%22_Quarter\"><\/span>CarMax Shares Dive on &quot;Challenging&quot; Quarter<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>CarMax (<a href=\"\/stock\/KMX\">KMX<\/a>)<\/strong> is experiencing its worst trading day since 2022, with its stock falling over <strong>12%<\/strong> after the used-car retailer reported a significantly &quot;challenging&quot; second quarter. The company&#39;s net earnings per diluted share came in at <strong>$0.64<\/strong>, well below the <strong>$1.04<\/strong> analysts expected, and a <strong>24.7%<\/strong> drop year-over-year. Total net sales and operating revenues decreased by <strong>6.0%<\/strong> to <strong>$6.59 billion<\/strong>, missing estimates of <strong>$7.01 billion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>CEO William D. Nash acknowledged the difficult period but expressed confidence in the company&#39;s long-term strategy. In response to the performance, CarMax announced plans to implement at least <strong>$150 million<\/strong> in incremental selling, general, and administrative (SG&amp;A) reductions over the next 18 months. Used-car sales dipped <strong>7.2%<\/strong> to <strong>$5.271 billion<\/strong>, and comparable store sales dropped <strong>6.3%<\/strong>, signaling a reversal from strong growth reported just three months prior.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Amazon_Reaches_25_Billion_FTC_Settlement_Over_Prime_Subscriptions\"><\/span>Amazon Reaches $2.5 Billion FTC Settlement Over Prime Subscriptions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Amazon (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMZN\">AMZN<\/a>)<\/strong> has reached a landmark <strong>$2.5 billion<\/strong> settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to resolve allegations of deceptive practices related to its Prime subscription service. The FTC accused Amazon of enrolling millions of consumers in Prime without their consent and knowingly making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.<\/p>\n<p>The settlement includes a <strong>$1 billion<\/strong> civil penalty, the largest in FTC history, and <strong>$1.5 billion<\/strong> in refunds for consumers harmed by these deceptive enrollment and cancellation practices. The agreement also mandates that Amazon cease these unlawful practices for Prime memberships. The FTC&#39;s investigation, which began under the first Trump administration, highlighted Amazon&#39;s use of &quot;manipulative, coercive or deceptive&quot; user interfaces.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Faces_Second_EU_Antitrust_Fine_Amid_Trade_Tensions\"><\/span>Google Faces Second EU Antitrust Fine Amid Trade Tensions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>)<\/strong> is anticipated to receive a second significant antitrust fine from the European Union in the coming months, this time under the landmark Digital Markets Act. This follows a recent <strong>\u20ac2.95 billion<\/strong> (approximately <strong>$3.45 billion<\/strong>) fine imposed on September 5, 2025, for violating EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the online advertising technology (ad-tech) industry.<\/p>\n<p>The European Commission&#39;s latest charges, brought in March, allege that Google favored its own vertical search engines, such as Google Shopping, Google Flights, and Google Hotels, over competing services. The previous ad-tech fine required Google to end its self-preferencing practices and propose measures to eliminate conflicts of interest within 60 days, with the Commission not ruling out structural remedies like a partial breakup if a viable plan isn&#39;t presented.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Defense_Secretary_Hegseth_Orders_Urgent_Unexplained_Meeting_of_Top_Military_Leaders\"><\/span>Defense Secretary Hegseth Orders Urgent, Unexplained Meeting of Top Military Leaders<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a highly unusual directive, ordering hundreds of the nation&#39;s top generals and admirals from around the world to gather at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, next week. The short-notice meeting has no stated reason, causing significant confusion and alarm within military ranks.<\/p>\n<p>This directive comes amidst a looming government shutdown and follows previous controversial actions by Hegseth, including plans to reduce the number of general officers by <strong>20%<\/strong> and a high-profile order to rebrand the Defense Department as the &quot;Department of War.&quot; Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the meeting, stating that Hegseth &quot;will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,&quot; but offered no further details.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Denmark_Reports_%22Hybrid_Attacks%22_as_Drones_Disrupt_Airports\"><\/span>Denmark Reports &quot;Hybrid Attacks&quot; as Drones Disrupt Airports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Denmark has declared recent drone incursions that led to the closure of multiple airports, including Aalborg and Copenhagen, as &quot;hybrid attacks&quot; intended to spread fear. The Latvian Foreign Minister indicated that Denmark had informed its allies that a &quot;state actor&quot; was responsible for the drone activity. Russia, however, has rejected as &quot;absurd&quot; any speculation of its involvement in the Danish incidents.<\/p>\n<p>The drone sightings, which also affected military installations, followed similar patterns to earlier disruptions that halted flights at Copenhagen Airport for four hours. Danish authorities have not publicly identified the perpetrators but noted that the number, large size, and flight patterns of the unidentified drones indicated a &quot;capable actor.&quot;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_Key_Developments\"><\/span>Other Key Developments<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The <strong>Justice Department<\/strong> is reportedly pushing prosecutors to investigate <strong>George Soros&#39;s Foundation<\/strong>, according to reports from the New York Times.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Microsoft (<a href=\"\/stock\/MSFT\">MSFT<\/a>)<\/strong> is conducting a review of allegations made by The Guardian, and has found evidence backing some of the publication&#39;s reporting, specifically regarding Microsoft blocking Israeli use of certain surveillance technology.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>U.S. Kansas City Fed Composite Index<\/strong> registered an actual reading of <strong>4<\/strong>, significantly higher than the previous figure of <strong>1<\/strong> and the estimated <strong>1.5<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A push for the disclosure of <strong>Jeffrey Epstein<\/strong> files is gaining momentum, with a discharge petition expected to force a House vote to release the documents, as reported by The Hill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways CarMax (KMX) shares plummeted over 12% after its CEO described the latest quarter as &quot;challenging,&quot; with earnings and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5012],"tags":[6133,33,10105,231,10596,391,11483,3768,11491,4536,11492,4672,4824,5657,5740],"class_list":["post-53624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","tag-drones","tag-msft","tag-eu-antitrust","tag-kmx","tag-george-soros","tag-amzn","tag-carmax","tag-googl","tag-defense-department","tag-amazon","tag-kansas-city-fed","tag-google","tag-geopolitics","tag-microsoft","tag-ftc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}