Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted against David Zaslav's golden parachute. The vote was non-binding, and it barely touched the real money.

The departing CEO collected $606.1M for his shares and options when the Skydance deal closed on October 6, per an SEC filing. That's on top of about $195M in stock he sold ahead of the close.

Shareholders got a say on the severance. The fortune rode in on the $31.02-per-share cash price from Paramount Skydance (PSKY).

— Brooks & The Street Sheet Team

What: The Fed's triennial household checkup came back with a reading last seen after the financial crisis. Nearly 20% of families were behind on loan payments at the end of 2025, up from about 12%. The country got richer on average while a fifth of it fell behind.

Why: The strain runs deeper than a missed bill. Families two months or more behind rose to over 8% from 5% in 2022. The share spending more than 40% of income on debt payments hit 8.6%, the highest since 2013. The backdrop was steady growth with inflation not seen since the early 1980s.

What Else: The wealth split explains the cheerful average. Mean net worth rose 7% to $1.24M, while the median gained just 2% to $215.9K. The top income group's median net worth jumped 31%, and the bottom quarter's fell 6%. Income cut differently, dropping 25% for families aged 35 to 44 on lost capital gains.

Watch: The New York Fed's household survey already showed families bracing for a weaker year, so watch its next read. A recovery that only lives in the average won't show up in the late notices.

What: Delta Air Lines (DAL) just learned that pricing power runs on jet fuel. It posted its first miss in two years and cut 2026 EPS guidance to $5.10-$5.60, from $6.50-$7.50 in July. Travelers are absorbing the fares, but the fares aren't absorbing the fuel.

Why: Jet fuel in the US Gulf region nearly doubled to $4.34 from $2.19 a year earlier, per FactSet (FDS), as prices surged after the Iran war began in February. That's $6B in added fuel costs this year. Delta is passing much of it along, yet free cash flow guidance still fell to $2.5B from as much as $4B.

What Else: The fare side is working. Delta forecast adjusted fourth-quarter revenue up 20%, faster than the third quarter's 16%, and September CPI put airfare up more than 23% year over year. Premium revenue grew 18% to $6.82B, outpacing the main cabin's 12%. Its refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania, which turns crude into jet fuel, adds an edge rivals lack.

Watch: Delta reported first. Watch whether United Airlines (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL), with no refinery of their own, can price past the same fuel bill when they follow. Demand isn't the problem. Margin is.

What: Beijing had reportedly brushed off Europe's request to rein in hybrid car exports, per the Financial Times. On Friday, it agreed to halve them. EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič announced the deal after two days of talks in Beijing. The rebuff became a concession, at least on paper.

Why: China's widening trade surplus with the EU drove the push. Germany and France had urged Brussels to build a "last-resort" trade instrument to address the imbalance, capping a summer of rising tensions.

What Else: Hybrids weren't the only item. China's Commerce Ministry released 16 consensus outcomes, including rare earth and permanent magnet export licenses for the EU. Šefčovič gave no timeline on the rare earths, and the hybrid cut still needs Brussels' approval.

Watch: The two sides hold a video conference in January and meet again in March. Until Brussels signs off and the magnets actually ship, treat the 16 outcomes as a menu, not a meal.