Good morning, Quartz readers! Here’s what you need to know.
The European Union (EU) is facing conflicts over Palestinian aid. The European Commission recently announced an immediate suspension of €691 million ($730 million) in development aid to Palestinians, but this decision was reversed as the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas continues. This is an ongoing situation.
In terms of investments, you may be wondering whether now is a good time to buy McDonald’s and Caterpillar stocks.
The Kaiser Permanente strike has come to an end without a resolution. Negotiations between the US healthcare workers’ unions and employers are set to continue, with the possibility of future walkouts.
Recent comments made by two officials suggest that the Federal Reserve may leave interest rates unchanged after the next meeting.
The Nobel economics prize has been awarded to a researcher who focuses on the workplace gender gap. Claudia Goldin, in receiving the prize, has made significant progress in narrowing the gender gap within this specific area.
Now, let’s take a look at what the Israel-Hamas war could mean for oil. While the conflict between Hamas and Israel has not immediately affected the world’s oil supply, prices have started to rise. Although Israel and Palestine are not major oil producers, as the conflict escalates, the outlook for the entire Middle East region, which contributes one-third of global oil supply, becomes more uncertain. A statement from Iran calling the attack on Israel by Hamas an act of “self-defense” could have far-reaching implications for oil prices. Find out more in Quartz’s article by Ananya Bhattacharya.
Moving on to our person of interest: Nelson Peltz. Eight months ago, this activist investor dropped his bid to join Disney’s board. But now he’s back with an increased stake in the entertainment giant, totaling over $2.5 billion. Disney has strongly opposed Peltz’s inclusion on the board, arguing that he lacks understanding of the business. However, with Disney’s declining stock price and Peltz’s quadrupled shareholding, CEO Bob Iger may struggle to keep this “villain” at bay.
ESG ETF returns, or exchange-traded funds that follow environmental, social, and governance investing strategies, have not been particularly impressive. A new study analyzing 10 years of portfolio data shows that they perform no better than standard index funds. In fact, ESG ETFs underperform by an average of 0.2% annually. Quartz’s Grete Suarez speaks to experts about what socially conscious investors should do in light of these findings.
Let’s take a look at some of Quartz’s most popular articles. People are paying more attention to China’s e-commerce activities following concerns of “possible espionage” by Alibaba in Europe. El Niño continues to make waves and cause temperature variations. The revolt against Knitting.com sheds light on boycott culture in online platforms such as Reddit and Etsy. Ozempic’s impact on junk food sales raises questions about other industries that may be affected. A hidden system of exploitation exists within the US healthcare system’s employment of foreign nurses. Lastly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming retail jobs at Walmart.
In surprising discoveries, Chicago’s buildings are becoming obstacles for migrating birds, with many collisions being preventable. Cities of the future are also facing challenges due to rising temperatures, but there are strategies to counteract these issues. Visitors to US zoos may soon lose the opportunity to see pandas in person, as scientific loans from China may be discontinued. Furthermore, autopaying credit card bills can lead to higher costs as minimum payments prolong the accumulation of interest. And yes, there is indeed a new Atari game!
We wish you a productive day ahead. Feel free to send any news, comments, or inquiries to [email protected]. Remember, reader support allows Quartz to remain accessible to all. Become a member today. This Daily Brief was brought to you by Susan Howson.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
