Judge rules on Altria-Juul investment, Ericsson stock falls on potential ISIS payment

Yahoo Finance takes a look at business headlines affecting markets today.

Video transcript

JULIE HYMAN: Well, inflation isn't just hot here in the United States. In the UK, it accelerated in January at an annual rate of 5 and 1/2%. That's the fastest rate in 30 years, edging up from December's 5.4% increase. And the inflation rate is expected to keep climbing. The Bank of England has forecast the rate will peak above 7% in April.

Tobacco giant Altria says it can keep its investment in Juul after a new ruling by an administrative judge. The judge dismissed a federal lawsuit against Altria, which alleged that the company's partnership with Juul was anti-competitive and broke antitrust laws. The ruling is reportedly a preliminary decision. It still could be appealed by the FTC. The reporting comes from "The Wall Street Journal." And an FTC spokeswoman said she cannot comment to the paper.

Telecom giant Ericsson shares, they're down sharply this morning. The CEO told a Swedish newspaper the company may have made payments to Islamic terrorist organization ISIS. According to Bloomberg reporting, the CEO said the company found, quote, "unusual expenses" dating back to 2018, with transport routes of those expenses through areas controlled by ISIS. This admission comes after Ericsson issued a statement yesterday saying it will greatly investigate its Iraq-based business. And Brian Sozzi, you're the one who flagged that this morning. Quite an unusual headline to see.