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Here’s what you need to know
Japan’s economy—ravaged by the pandemic. The Japanese economy is forecast to contract a record 5.3% this year. Economists don’t expect growth to resume in the world’s third-largest economy until March 2021, according to a Reuters poll.
Asia is seeing a coronavirus surge. The coronavirus is surging in Asia again. India saw its highest daily spike as total cases approached 850,000. In Indonesia, cases are rising after the government eased physical-distancing measures: 1,681 new daily cases were reported on Sunday. Both Tokyo (206 new cases) and Hong Kong (38 new cases) are battling nascent outbreaks of their own.
Singapore’s opposition gains. Singapore’s opposition party made record gains in national elections this Friday (July 10). The city-state’s ruling party in power since 1965 retained its supermajority with 83 of 93 parliamentary seats. The opposing Workers’ Party won 10 seats.
China to bounce back. After contracting 6.8% in the first quarter, China’s economy is expected to return to growth this quarter. As exports rebound, and the coronavirus appears to recede, stocks are buoyant. But Chinese authorities warned against a potential stock-market bubble.
A warning for Hong Kong’s opposition. Hong Kong’s opposition parties were warned they may break new national security law by holding election primaries. The elections proceeded anyways. Hundreds of thousands of people cast ballots for candidates to the city’s Legislative Council races to be held this September.
India’s BP-Reliance deal. BP will spend $1 billion to set up 5,500 petrol stations in India through a joint-venture with Reliance Industries.
What to watch for
Monday: US national security advisor travels to Paris to rally allies against China, contempt of court proceedings against independent Malaysian news site begin and the EU will discuss possible sanctions for Turkey over Cyprus. Earnings expected from Pepsi.
Tuesday: The UK will announce a decision on using Huawei’s 5G tech, though the British press says the government has made up its mind not to do so, Australia declassifies letters over the Queen’s role in dismissal of former PM Gough Whitlam, the US-India CEOs forum and and it’s Bastille Day in France. Earnings from Delta, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and Fidelity.
Wednesday: The 15th India-EU summit will take place virtually, Eiffel Tower’s top floor will reopen while Disneyland Paris will begin phased reopening, US economic data expected including import/export prices, manufacturing output and Beige Book data from the US Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada will publish a rate decision and quarterly monetary policy report. Starbucks will start requiring customers to wear face masks in the US. Earnings expected from Goldman Sachs, UnitedHealth Group, and Alcoa.
Thursday: Europe’s top court to rule on data transfer rules, European Central Bank will give a policy update, and the US will update on retail data and initial jobless claims. A central Texas county will vote on millions of dollars in Tesla subsidies for a $1.1 billion vehicle factory. A big earnings day with Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Netflix, Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Charles Schwab and Domino’s.
Friday: European leaders will hope to hammer out a Europe-wide recovery plan at the EU summit, the US Senate returns from recess and more US economic data including the US consumer sentiment index and housing starts. Also, it’s World Emoji Day. Earnings: BlackRock.
Charting the US economy’s decoupling from electricity generation
The US is doing the most with less energy. For most of the 20th century there was pretty strong correlation between how a country’s economy grows and the need to generate more energy. But in the last two decades, GDP has more than doubled in the United States while electricity generation has barely budged, rising 40% since 1990.
For members: How to build an anti-racist company
What does it mean to be an anti-racist company? As Black Lives Matter protests prompt organizations around the world to rethink the way they do business, our latest field guide offers ideas for how to combat injustice—from learning from the experiences of post-apartheid South Africa to running meetings like a TV writers’ room.
Fractured Atlas, a New York City-based nonprofit with roughly 30 employees that helps artists access funding, has a number of unique practices in place to create an anti-racist work culture. They include:
- Race-based discussion groups meant to address issues tied to oppression and equality.
- An entirely remote workforce, which has significantly widened their candidate pool.
- Altering the reimbursement policy so that everyone has access to a corporate card.
- Nixing education requirements on job postings.
- Listing the same job posting under two different levels of seniority.
- Ditching the practice of starting interviews with questions like, “Tell us about a time when.”
✦Read more about organizations trying to create an environment where people can learn from one another about the ways in which racism shapes society, in our field guide to creating an anti-racist company. Get started with a seven-day free trial.✦
Surprising discoveries
Bison are back. For the first time in 6,000 years, bison will soon roam free in the UK. They will eventually be joined by wild longhorn cattle, “iron age” pigs, and Exmoor ponies.
Godzilla is coming. A dense Saharan dust plume sweeping off the African continent this summer has earned the nickname Godzilla after traveling 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers).
Astronomers are mounting a universal search for black holes. A new telescope will detect “accretion flares” on the edge of a back hole’s event horizon and finally reveal the nature of mysterious objects such as Planet Nine.
Tomato plants talk. Scientists observed electrical signaling between Tomato plants through fungal networks in the soil, but what they’re saying is still a mystery.
Found: the South Pole Wall. Hiding behind the Milky Way is the “South Pole Wall,” one of the largest cosmic structures ever discovered. It spans 1.4 billion light-years with hundreds of thousands of galaxies.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, blackhole telescopes and talking tomato plants to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Michael Coren, Jackie Bischof and Yinka Adegoke.