Amy Coney Barrett, Rolls-Royce lifeline, ancient quartz filters

Good morning, Quartz readers!

Here’s what you need to know

Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in. She cements a 6-3 conservative majority in the US Supreme Court, as Republicans in the Senate pushed through a vote to confirm her nomination to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg just eight days from the US presidential election.

Rolls-Royce seeks a $2.6 billion lifeline. The aircraft-engine maker at the heart of British manufacturing will ask shareholders to approve a deeply discounted share issue to keep the firm afloat. It has already borrowed £2 billion ($2.6 billion) from the state. Separately, Tesla will reportedly begin shipping made-in-China cars to Europe today.

The EU is backing Nigeria’s candidate to lead the WTO. In a sign of trust in Africa, the bloc is set to publicly support former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next leader of the World Trade Organization.

HSBC’s third-quarter earnings were better than expected. Though Europe’s largest bank reported a 36% fall in year-on-year profits, that was less than what analysts had predicted.

Ant Group’s mega IPO is already oversubscribed. The “Amazon of money,” which is gearing up for a dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai, will stop taking investor orders for the Hong Kong leg of its share sale one day early. The Chinese fintech giant is poised to raise $34.5 billion, with a valuation dwarfing the GDP of Finland.

A high-level US delegation visits India. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and secretary of defense Mark Esper will sign a new pact granting military access to US satellite data, which will improve India’s long-range missile accuracy, as the two countries team up to counter China.

New currencies, old problems

Global equity markets fell sharply on Monday as much of the world continues to struggle with the novel coronavirus. One asset class that bucked the trend? Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency is up double digits over the last seven days after nearly doubling since the beginning of the year. Adding to the intrigue, the largest dollar value bitcoin transaction ever was completed yesterday, moving $1.1 billion for just $3.58 in fees.

Here’s what else we’re tracking in the world of digital money:

🇨🇳 China’s digital yuan is still in its infancy, but the virtual currency is already being faked.

🇳🇬 Bitcoin is powering the largest Nigerian protests in a generation.


Charting recession-proof jobs

During a recession, not all sectors are hit equally hard. Quartz data editor Dan Kopf looked at the two major US recessions of the 21st century to find out which industries are the most resilient.

Image for article titled Amy Coney Barrett, Rolls-Royce lifeline, ancient quartz filters

Recessions, of course, are not the only risk that could lead to job losses. Workers hit hard by Covid-19 layoffs may be in for another blow: automation. Jobs that have been greatly impacted by Covid-19, and are at high risk of being lost to automation, include:

  • 🚕 Taxi drivers
  • 💁‍♀️ Restaurant servers
  • 👷 Highway maintenance workers
  • 🚌 School bus drivers

To see the likelihood that your job could be at risk due to automation, consult the full report.


Vibe check

How’s mental health at your company? Join us on Oct. 29 from 11am-12pm EDT for our free virtual workshop on how to support mental health at every level of your organization. In this workshop, experts will share advice on how to manage up, down, and around when it comes to wellness in the workplace. Grab your spot today.


The US-China tech divorce

In our fictional example, we imagine Beijing retaliating after Washington has forced WeChat’s parent Tencent, which is also dominant in video games, to sell off its stakes in US game developers.

To explore how the internet is splintering, we reported on hypothetical news events from five years in the future. These deductive dispatches help unpack the stakes of present-day battles between tech giants, politicians, and internet freedom fighters that are directly shaping our online future.

Our Oct. 25, 2025 report by a fictional Chinese newspaper, the Global Journal, imagines the potential outcome of the current fight over who should control TikTok in the US. For a glimpse into this heightened era of internet fragmentation, dive into our guide to the splinternet.

✦ Don’t let anything splinter you from all of Quartz’s content. Use code QZTWENTY for 20% off a year of field guides, premium emails, and more.

Surprising discoveries

Kazakhstan hated the first Borat, but loves its sequel. Its tourism board is embracing Sacha Baron Cohen’s new satire and the titular character’s catchphrase, “very nice!

Japan wants to sweep away its tattoo taboo. Ink aficionados hope tattooed foreign athletes at next year’s Tokyo Olympics will help tattoos go mainstream.

Water for moon humans. Evidence of water molecules on our moon’s sunny side means more hope for extended Earthling stays.

Water for Mayans. The ancient civilization constructed its own water filters from quartz (!) and zeolite.

Gotta censor them all. The Pokémon Company changed the names of six of its catchable creatures to avoid offending  China.


Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, postcards from Kazakhstan, and unabridged Pokémon names to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Mary Hui, Tripti Lahiri, Susan Howson, Max Lockie.