Jobs Report Friday again! Here’s what we’re watching for in the numbers, including some thoughts on recent positive trends and how the Delta variant may upend them – NYTimes and WSJ and MarketWatch
Even as that variant pushes back return-to-office plans for big companies around the country (like Amazon, BlackRock, and Wells Fargo), workers who have embraced the remote and hybrid work model are expressing fears about getting left behind in advancement decisions when compared to their in-person peers - NYTimes
The DV’s also threatening the economic recovery in hard-hit parts of the U.S. - Bloomberg
In a shift nearly unfathomable just years ago, Exxon Mobil is reportedly “considering a pledge to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050,” the latest reaction from CEO Darren Woods to investor pressure “to demonstrate a bolder path to reducing emissions” - WSJ
The latest on the Fed’s tentative steps towards a potential digital dollar—“a digital currency that traces straight back to the central bank rather than to the private banking sector”—including some internal differences of opinion that suggest an official stance may be difficult to devise - NYTimes and Law360
What have we learned about meme stocks in the past year? Well, like cryptos, we can count on them to both giveth and taketh away. Thursday saw the latter for Robinhood, as early investors “filed to sell nearly 100 million of their Class A common shares less than a week” after the company’s IPO, sending shares down 28% - Bloomberg and WSJ
With regulatory crackdowns by Chinese authorities making waves in recent weeks, the Journal steps back to consider the context of these market-rattling moves and what more likely lies ahead as the Communist Party butts heads with its powerful homegrown businesses - WSJ [and Marketplace]
An example, you ask? Well, how about Beijing’s new $1 billion penalty against food-delivery giant Meituan for “allegedly abusing its dominant market position to the detriment of merchants and rivals.” Meituan, worth $170 billion, is China’s third-most valuable publicly listed internet company after Tencent and Alibaba—two other targets of the government’s regulatory net - WSJ
Not bad work if you can get it: the South Park guys—Trey Parker and Matt Stone—have inked a staggering $900 million new 6-year deal with ViacomCBS. The agreement means the duo will continue to churn out new episodes of “South Park” and will create several “spinoff movies for the company’s Paramount+ streaming service” - Bloomberg
I’m more than doing my part, I promise you, but NBC’s taking it on the chin so far in ratings for the Tokyo Games. A 13-16 hour time difference, Covid, and more platforms than you can shake a stick at surely aren’t helping - NYTimes
No big deal. Just the ISS spinning, for a time, out of control some 250 miles above Earth. The back story on some low-Earth-orbit drama at the end of July - Mashable
We’re on the road on Monday, so we’ll see you back here next Tuesday to kick off the week. Until then, have a great weekend, get vaxxed, and stay safe,
MDR
