Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The Bank of England starts buying corporate debt. It is all part of its plan to boost economic growth following the nation’s decision to leave the EU. Over the next 18 months, it will buy £10 billion ($13 billion) worth of sterling corporate bonds from companies making significant contributions to the British economy.
Najib Razak visits Angela Merkel. The embattled Malaysian prime minister, currently caught up in the 1MDB state fund scandal, will meet the German chancellor in Berlin to discuss trade and investment.
Nike posts a rare earnings drop. The sports equipment giant is expected to report a 16% year-over-year decline in first-quarter profit as sales disappoint and competitors turn up the heat. It would mark Nike’s first earnings decline in four years.
While you were sleeping
Hillary Clinton won the first US presidential debate… A CNN/ORC poll of debate watchers found that 62% felt Clinton won vs. 27% who thought her opponent Donald Trump did. One of Clinton’s best lines: “I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And yes, I did.” Trump bragged about not paying any federal income tax, saying it would be “squandered.”
…and financial markets reacted. As investors chalked up the debate as a win for Hillary Clinton—seen as the more stable candidate—the Mexican peso jumped (paywall) almost 2% and the S&P 500 was up 0.6% in after-hours trading. The Canadian dollar strengthened from its weakest level since March in a signal that investors think Clinton could win the election.
Colombia’s president signed a peace deal with FARC rebels. Juan Manuel Santos and rebel leader Timochenko used a pen made from a bullet to sign an agreement ending a 52-year war. The deal allows the FARC guerrillas to become a political party. The final step will be a public referendum on the deal on Oct. 2.
Turkish turmoil hit Thomas Cook’s sales. The British tour operator—part of Germany’s TUI—said that terror attacks and a failed military coup had put tourists off travel to Turkey this summer (paywall). Group bookings including Turkey were down 4% overall.
China’s industrial profits jumped the most in three years. They rose 19.5% from a year ago to 534.8 billion yuan ($80.2 billion), according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The data suggests further stabilization in manufacturing and a greater ability of companies to pay off debts.
Quartz obsession interlude
Tim Fernholz on whether SpaceX is a victim of its founder’s ambitions. ”In a few days, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will unveil his plans to explore Mars at a global space conference in Mexico. The event has been widely anticipated by fans of the billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX… Now, critics are asking if SpaceX is taking on too much, too fast.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Donald Trump made a great case against electing a businessman as president. In the debate, he boasted of his focus on personal enrichment—but that’s not the best place from which to lead a democracy.
Modern activists shouldn’t be in awe of icons like Nelson Mandela. Losing faith in yesterday’s heroes is a positive sign of dismissing false “civil religions.”
Major fashion brands are toying with their customers’ psyches. Their approach to sizing can set women on an unhealthy path to weight loss.
Surprising discoveries
Apple spends an estimated $225 on the parts for each iPhone 7. And it charges customers three times that amount to buy one.
Jupiter’s icy moon Europa shoots jets of water into space. The presence of water makes it a key target in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Venetians are dressing up as pirates to chase away cruise ships. They fear massive cruise ships are endangering the sinking city.
Hollywood actors can now have their ages erased from IMDB. California passed a law that’s meant to fight ageism in the film industry.
A devil frog puked up a new ant species. The neon-orange, poisonous frogs get their toxic secretions from the ants, which feed on alkaloids from plants.
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