

Ticker: Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $1.55B; Global food prices rise after Russia ends grain deal

Another Mega Millions drawing has passed by without a jackpot winner.
The numbers drawn Friday night were: 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the gold ball 20.
Because no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $1.35 billion jackpot, the top prize increased to an estimated $1.55 billion for the next drawing Tuesday night.
There have now been 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the Mega Millions jackpot was April 18.
The $1.55 billion prize would be for a sole winner who chooses the annuity option with payment stretched over 30 years. Most winners opt for a lump-sum payment, which would be an estimated $757.2 million on Tuesday.
A big slice of those winnings would go toward federal taxes, while many states also tax lottery payouts, including Massachusetts.
The jackpot is so hard to win because of the 1 in 302.6 million odds of matching the numbers on five white balls and a separate mega ball. The odds are better to win smaller prizes, which start at $2.
Global prices for food commodities like rice and vegetable oil have risen for the first time in months after Russia ended a deal allowing Ukraine ship grain and India restricted some rice exports.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said that its index of food prices increased 1.3% in July over June. The increase was driven by higher costs for rice and vegetable oil. It was the first uptick since April when higher sugar prices bumped up the reading slightly for the first time in a year.
Commodity prices have been falling but the trade restrictions and grain deal’s demise threaten to increase food insecurity and the prices people pay to eat in developing nations.