What to watch for today
Hong Kong protests enter a fourth night. Protesters booed the Chinese flag and jeered champagne-sipping city leaders at a ceremony for China’s National Day—a holiday that resulted in bigger crowds but no confrontations with police. Hong Kong and Beijing officials appear thus far to be waiting the protests out, rather than cracking down with violence or bending to demonstrators’ demands.
Oil prices could start slipping. The US Energy Information Administration will publish a report on how much crude oil the US is stockpiling. Analysts say reserves have increased by 1.5 million barrels in just one week, potentially driving the price of oil to below $90 a barrel; It was above $110 three months ago.
Ukraine’s ceasefire is barely holding. Separatists have repeatedly shelled Ukraine army positions and tried to storm the Donetsk airport, according to the Kyiv government. The US ambassador says Russian forces and equipment are still in Ukraine, and the border is unsecured.
Modest good news for the US economy. Payroll processor ADP is expected to report that private employers added 210,000 jobs in September, slightly above the 204,000 added in August, while the Commerce Department is expected to report a small increase in construction spending.
While you were sleeping
Another embarrassment for the US secret service. President Obama unwittingly shared an elevator with a convicted felon carrying a gun at the Centers for Disease Control earlier this month, according to the Washington Post. The agency is already under fire for allowing an intruder armed with a knife to enter the White House.
Adidas tried to placate unhappy shareholders. The world’s second-largest sportswear maker will return €1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) to investors over the next three years through share buybacks, dividends, and other means. A German business magazine reported recently that hedge funds are preparing to demand management changes; Adidas has issued three profit warnings already this year.
Nigeria got its Ebola outbreak under control. All known Ebola patients in the country are now being treated and no new cases have been reported for a month. Senegal has also not had any new cases for a month, and its only patient has recovered.
Euro zone manufacturing continued to slow… Markit’s purchasing managers’ index for September was at 50.3, barely above the 50 mark that distinguishes contraction from expansion. Separately, the UK PMI fell to a lower-than-expected 51.6, its lowest point in 17 months.
…While China and Japan were steady. China’s official purchasing managers’ index was 51.1 in September, the same as in August. Japan’s Markit/JMMA PMI ticked down slightly to 51.7 from 52.2 the previous month.
Quartz obsession interlude
Lily Kuo on how Hong Kong’s protest has spread beyond students. “What started as a pro-democracy movement mainly among the city youth—sparked by student activists as well as another pro-democracy group, Occupy Hong Kong—is starting to capture a broad cross-section of the city’s population of seven million. … Teachers in at least 31 secondary schools are boycotting classes … one of the city’s most influential trade groups, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, has called on workers to strike and demonstrate at protest sites.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Hajj selfies are un-Islamic. A religious scholar say the increasingly popular self-portraits in Mecca “defy the wish of our Prophet.”
Hong Kong’s “umbrella revolution” won’t spread to the mainland. Chinese people don’t even recognize Hong Kongers as compatriots.
The rich are so rich they’re invisible. And that’s why normal people don’t care about the wealth gap (paywall).
Unemployment is undermining marriage. Young Americans are unlikely to wed someone who doesn’t have a steady paycheck.
Surprising discoveries
Climate change can alter gender birth ratios… Male fetus deaths spike in months with extreme weather.
…And it’s altering gravity in the Antarctic. But don’t expect to see any space-walking penguins just yet.
Caffeinated underwear got pulled from US shelves. The undies were supposed to aid weight loss, but turned out to be decaf.
Chinese pigeons are getting cavity checks. According to state-run media, it’s a security precaution for the country’s National Day holiday.
The game of Tetris has a plot. At least Hollywood thinks it does.
Click here for more surprising discoveries on Quartz.
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