Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The Bank of England will likely leave its interest rate unchanged. The Brexit vote hasn’t affected the economy as badly (paywall) as many had feared—at least not yet.
China’s most powerful space vehicle launches. The Long March 5 booster’s maiden flight is expected to last slightly over 20 minutes. It is designed to be a workhorse launch vehicle for commercial satellites, space station modules, and deep space probes.
Lovable losers are facing off in Game Seven of baseball’s World Series. Two of the sport’s longest-suffering franchises, the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, are playing a winner-takes-all championship game, and it’s coming down to the wire after a mid-game rain delay. Despite the name, the World Series only covers the US and Canada.
While you were sleeping
Facebook crushed Wall Street expectations yet again. The social network behemoth, used by 1.79 billion people every month, posted a 56% increase in quarterly revenue, to just over $7 billion, as mobile ads grew to 84% of the total. The company’s sales have risen by more than 50% for four straight quarters.
The Fed opted out of a rate hike ahead of US elections. The US central bank suggested that a rate hike is plausible in December, as inflation stays on track to reach its 2% target.
Gawker settled its Peter Thiel-funded lawsuits. The company, sold off to Univision in a bankruptcy auction, will pay out $31 million to pro wrestler Hulk Hogan for publishing his sex tape. Founder Nick Denton, who declared personal bankruptcy as well, said the settlement “allows us all to move on, and focus on activities more productive than endless litigation.”
Another big merger in the semiconductor industry. Chipmaker Broadcom is buying Brocade for $5.5 billion, giving the Singapore-based company a larger share of the data center networking equipment market.
Quartz markets haiku
The election nears.
Soothsayers look for omens
In the Index. 🔮
Quartz obsession interlude
Adam Freelander on the fate of the Republican Party after Nov. 8. “Even a landslide loss for the party in the Nov. 8 elections would not seriously hurt the GOP—and might even be good for it. That’s because, contrary to what seems obvious, national elections aren’t actually a good reflection of a political party’s trajectory.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Stop blaming obesity on willpower. Research says it has little to do with diet or exercise (paywall).
Faith in technology is the new key to happiness. Technological progress has replaced religion as an elixir for joy.
Supermarkets are for old people. Millennials would rather eat at restaurants or buy their groceries at convenience stores.
Surprising discoveries
Pond scum carries the secret to eternal life. A Nobel Prize-winning scientist is studying an enzyme common in algae that rebuilds damaged cells.
The US government wants to know how much Nutella you eat. Regulators need to determine whether it’s a dessert topping, or a food in its own right.
There’s a blue alien planet that looks just like ours. But it’s bigger, hotter and rains down molten glass.
A Mars aircraft is taking inspiration from the Nazis. The flying wing, first developed by German engineers during WWII, may be the key to flying across the red planet.
Scientists created a chain-smoking robot to test lung disease. It features a “lung on a chip,” to study chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, pond scum elixirs, and robot cigarettes to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our iPhone app.