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What to watch for today
Positive economic news is expected out of Europe (finally). Eurozone industrial production data is projected to show a 1.5% increase for August (paywall), a welcome upswing after a 1.1% year-on-year drop in July. A recovery would help alleviate concerns about Brexit’s impact on manufacturers.
Germany’s top court rules on an appeal against CETA. Activists aim to stop the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada. The pact would eliminate tariffs on 98% of goods, but, detractors contend, be bad for jobs and the environment.
The Fed releases meeting minutes. It left rates unchanged in September, but policymakers were divided on the issue. Minutes from the Open Market Committee’s meeting are expected to hold clues about the thinking behind the decision.
While you were sleeping
Apple announced plans for an R&D center in Shenzhen. CEO Tim Cook said the new facilities would open in a year or so and let the company’s engineers better collaborate with manufacturing partners, many of whom are located in the Chinese manufacturing hub.
Japan’s machinery orders did better than expected. They fell just 2.2% in August from July, compared to a 5.5% decline expected by economists. Policymakers are hoping capital spending will foster sustainable growth.
GM invested in a Chinese car-sharing startup. The automaker declined to say how much it put into Yi Wei Xing (Beijing) Technology, the developer of a car-rental and car-sharing app called Feezu. Earlier this year GM invested $500 million in the ride-hailing service Lyft.
Amazon will open brick-and-mortar grocery stores. The Wall Street Journal reported (paywall) that the mega-distributor is planning to open convenience stores as well as curbside pickup locations. The expansion would be a big step toward conquering grocery delivery, the holy grail of online shopping.
The US announced plans to touch down on Mars. In an op-ed emphasizing the benefits of public-private partnerships for space exploration, US president Barack Obama said Americans would land on Mars sometime in the 2030s.
Quartz obsession interlude
Jacek Krywko on the power and potential of insects. “Damian Jozefiak, a professor at the Poznan University of Life Sciences, believes insects offer much more than protein. He thinks they can become bio-processing units working in fully automated, remotely controlled smart factories producing high-quality proteins, fats for the pharmaceutical industry, and biofuels—all using different kinds of waste as raw materials.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Feeling inefficient? Have kids. Motherhood forces women to become hyperproductive and produce more than their childless peers.
Twitter already lost the social media wars. Investors are looking for the next big thing in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and drones.
Children ruin natural history museums. The quiet respect exhibited at churches and libraries needs to be extended to these keepers of history.
Surprising discoveries
Spinning tops and pinwheels are more popular than Pokemon Go in Indonesia. Parents are reintroducing retro games to increase physical interactions.
California is trading green grass for gravel. A company revamped 12,000 lawns in less than two years in light of the state’s half-decade drought.
It’s OK if your returned Galaxy Note 7 explodes in transit. Samsung is sending out extremely fireproof boxes for returns.
Half of the mass of Eurasia and India has disappeared. Scientists thought continental crust couldn’t be swallowed by the Earth’s mantle, until it apparently happened.
Melting Arctic ice is taking history with it. The impact of climate change on excavations may force questions about walrus populations, climate conditions, and Inuit ancestors’ migration to go unanswered.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, retro games, and Mars colonization plans to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our iPhone app.