Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The US reports employment figures for March. Employers likely added about 200,000 jobs in the last month. The jobless rate is expected to hold steady at an eight-year low of 4.9%, despite a weak global economy.
Bouygues and Orange try to seal the deal. The French conglomerate has delayed a final decision (paywall) about selling its telecoms business to Orange, the country’s biggest telecoms operator. The companies now have a Sunday deadline to make the call.
Brussels reopens its airport. Zaventem airport has been closed since March 22, when suicide bombers blew themselves up in the departure hall. It will now partially resume operations.
While you were sleeping
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Model 3. After years of offering only high-end models, the electric-car company finally introduced its vehicle for the mass market. Over 115,000 fans placed orders, and stores attracted lines out the door. Musk has essentially bet the company on the sedan’s success.
Anbang Insurance Group dropped its pursuit of Starwood Hotels. The Chinese company had offered $14 billion but made a surprise withdrawal, clearing the way for competing bidder Marriott International to make its own acquisition of Starwood—and create the world’s largest lodging company.
Business sentiment soured in Japan… The latest Tankan survey of large companies revealed significantly more pessimism (paywall) about business conditions—among a wide variety of industries—than there had been in the final quarter of 2015. That could prompt more monetary easing from the Bank of Japan.
… while the nation shook up its power industry. Regional utilities lost their monopoly rights to sell power to small customers. Shinzo Abe’s government hopes the reforms will help boost the stagnant economy.
The nuclear security summit started off with a whimper. With Vladimir Putin boycotting the meeting and Barack Obama in his last year as US president, world leaders broke little new ground in Washington, DC. However, Obama and Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged cooperation on North Korea and vowed to sign last year’s Paris climate deal on April 22.
Quartz markets haiku
The roller coaster
Is climbing again. What fun!
Then again, is it?
Quartz obsession interlude
Nico Lang on the legal name changes for transgender Americans. “Kinkade explains that many of his clients have faced sexual violence from police after being targeted for not having up-to-date identification that reflects their chosen name and their gender identity. It means that many of the trans people he works with have stopped even going to the grocery store, in fear of what will happen if they encounter a police officer.” Read more.
Matters of debate
Manufacturing still matters, even in knowledge economies. It creates more well-paying jobs than any other sector.
America may finally be tiring of Donald Trump. He’s still the odds-on Republican nominee, but his antics are getting boring.
Naive attorneys are killing the legal profession. They all want to be like the fictional Atticus Finch.
Surprising discoveries
Italy may start teaching 6-year-olds about wine… Legislators want a mandatory wine education class for public schools.
…As the world studies an Italian village filled with centenarians. Many are older than 110, despite enjoying cigarettes and never exercising.
Spain’s third-largest city changed its name. Valencia is now València—pronounced identically, but with an accent to match the local language.
Tyrion is the mathematically proven protagonist of Game of Thrones. Researchers used a network analysis technique that’s also used to track terrorists.
Christian Louboutin is making “nude” shoes to match every skin tone. They range from “porcelain” to “deep chocolate”—and from $675 to $875.
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