Medical examiners have ruled that the death of a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar, five days after Border Patrol left him at a Buffalo, New York, doughnut shop, was a homicide. The finding from the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office was released Wednesday. The agency didn’t reach any conclusions about responsibility for Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s death. Medical examiners said it was caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer, precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says Shah Alam “showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance” when agents dropped him off Feb. 19 at a Tim Hortons restaurant.

Shoppers increased their spending in February, particularly on cars and clothing, after pulling back at the start of the year due to severe winter storms. Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in February, from a revised 0.1% decline in January, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. But there’s concern that the Iran war, which is sending gasoline prices soaring and whose impact wasn’t reflected in the retail sales data, will derail spending at a time when Americans have already been squeezed by years of elevated inflation. Gas sped past an average of $4 a gallon on Tuesday for the first time since 2022 and jumped another 4 cents overnight. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline hit $4.06 Wednesday. That was a dollar more per gallon before the war.

U.S. stocks surged to their best day since last spring as doubt swung back to hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran. The S&P 500 leaped 2.9% Tuesday for its largest gain since May. Just a day before, worries about the war had sent the main measure of Wall Street’s health more than 9% below its all-time high set early this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,125 points, or 2.5%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 3.8%. Stocks strengthened after oil prices eased, which also sent yields lower in the bond market.

Spice and flavorings company McCormick is combining with Unilever’s foods division, which includes household names like Hellmann’s and Knorr. The combined company will maintain McCormick’s name and leadership. But upon closing, Unilever and its shareholders are expected to own 65% of the food company’s outstanding equity, amounting $29.1 billion. Unilever would also get $15.7 billion in cash. Meanwhile, McCormick shareholders will own 35.0%. Unilever and McCormick confirmed they were in talks about a deal earlier this month, with Unilever attempting to streamline its business and focus on beauty and personal care products.

Oil-thirsty Asian nations seek Russian crude as Iran war strains supplies

U.S. stocks swung as oil prices kept climbing because of uncertainty about when the war with Iran could end. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Monday and deepened its loss since the war began to pull 9.1% below its record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.7%. Caution was prevalent throughout markets. After jumping to an initial gain of 0.9%, the S&P 500 quickly erased nearly all of it before seesawing lower. Indexes rose in Europe but fell sharply in some Asian markets, while the price of U.S. oil topped $100 per barrel.