Wednesday Afternoon Links

[CNBC] Stocks cut gains as market choppiness persists: Live updates

[Axios] Bessent says China "can't be trusted" as trade fight escalates

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Trump Leverages US Shutdown to Make Unilateral Spending Moves

[Yahoo Finance] Why the odds are increasing that the government shutdown could last into November

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Shutdown is costing US economy $15 billion a day, Bessent says

[Yahoo/Reuters] US warns that hackers using F5 devices to target government networks

[Axios] Exclusive: "Clever and generous" farm bailout coming, Hassett says

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Miran Says Trade Uncertainty Makes Fed Rate Cuts More Urgent

[Axios] Americans lead the world in AI anxiety

[Bloomberg] US Electricity Bills Seen Rising Most in Three Years This Winter

[Bloomberg] Underwater Car Loans Hit Four-Year High in New Sign of Distress

[Bloomberg] Bessent Says He’ll Give Trump Fed Chair Options in December

[Bloomberg] Why Argentina Needs Bailout After Bailout After Bailout

[Bloomberg] Crypto’s Hedge-Appeal Cracks as Gold Wins Big on Debasement Fear

[WSJ] Fortifying America’s Pacific Front Line Is Getting Expensive and Difficult

[FT] The secretive First Brands founder, his $12bn debt and the future of private credit

[FT] US warns world will ‘decouple’ from China if it imposes new export controls