{"id":73147,"date":"2026-10-16T15:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T19:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/softbank-eyes-30-billion-allied-universal-deal-us-debt-interest-hits-record-1-05-trillion\/73147\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T15:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T19:08:15","slug":"softbank-eyes-30-billion-allied-universal-deal-us-debt-interest-hits-record-1-05-trillion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/softbank-eyes-30-billion-allied-universal-deal-us-debt-interest-hits-record-1-05-trillion\/73147\/","title":{"rendered":"SoftBank Eyes $30 Billion Allied Universal Deal; US Debt Interest Hits Record $1.05 Trillion"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SoftBank Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/9984\">9984<\/a>)<\/strong> is exploring a potential acquisition of <strong>Allied Universal<\/strong>, the largest US security firm, in a deal that could be valued at approximately <strong>$30 billion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>US Treasury<\/strong> reported a record <strong>$1.05 trillion<\/strong> in net interest payments on the national debt for the <strong>2026 fiscal year<\/strong>, a 12% increase from the previous year.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Brent crude<\/strong> futures surged past <strong>$110 per barrel<\/strong> for the first time since May, driven by intensifying Middle East tensions and attacks near the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Germany&#39;s<\/strong> governing coalition approved a significant tobacco tax hike, with cigarette prices projected to reach nearly <strong>\u20ac12 ($13.50)<\/strong> by 2030 to shore up the federal budget.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>SoftBank Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/9984\">9984<\/a>) is reportedly weighing a massive acquisition of <strong>Allied Universal<\/strong>, the top security services provider in the United States. The potential transaction could value the company\u2019s equity at up to <strong>$18 billion<\/strong>, with an additional <strong>$12 billion<\/strong> in debt bringing the total enterprise value to nearly <strong>$30 billion<\/strong>. <em>The move aligns with founder Masayoshi Son\u2019s vision to integrate AI-powered robotics into physical-world operations, leveraging Allied Universal&#39;s vast workforce and client base.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In a stark reflection of the rising cost of borrowing, the <strong>US Government<\/strong> paid a record <strong>$1.05 trillion<\/strong> in net interest on its debt during the <strong>2026 fiscal year<\/strong>. This surge is attributed to a combination of a <strong>$40.3 trillion<\/strong> national debt and higher interest rates, with the blended cost of debt now estimated between <strong>2.5% and 2.9%<\/strong>. <em>Fiscal experts warn that as older, lower-interest debt matures and is refinanced at current rates near 5.2%, the annual interest burden could continue to escalate rapidly.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Energy markets experienced significant volatility on Friday as <strong>Brent crude<\/strong> futures rose to <strong>$110 a barrel<\/strong>, marking their highest level since May 20. Simultaneously, <strong>US <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">West Texas Intermediate<\/a> (WTI)<\/strong> crude futures settled at <strong>$101.41 per barrel<\/strong>, gaining <strong>$3.44 (3.51%)<\/strong> in a single session. <em>The price spike follows reports of multiple tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and a substantial 8.6-million-barrel drawdown in US commercial crude inventories.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In Europe, <strong>Germany\u2019s<\/strong> Bundestag has approved a phased tobacco tax increase that will take effect between <strong>2027 and 2030<\/strong>. While the coalition initially pledged to avoid such hikes, the new measure is expected to generate <strong>\u20ac12 billion<\/strong> in additional revenue to help close federal budget gaps. <em>Under the approved plan, the average price of a 20-cigarette pack is expected to rise from roughly \u20ac8 today to over \u20ac9 next year, eventually nearing \u20ac12 by the end of the decade.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways SoftBank Group (9984) is exploring a potential acquisition of Allied Universal, the largest US security firm, in a [&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 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