Can it be? Jobs Report Friday again? Here’s what we’re watching for in the numbers today and early speculation on what that could mean for the Fed’s next rate decision – Bloomberg and MarketWatch and NYTimes and WSJ
Laxman Narasimhan, who faithful readers will recognize from just a few days ago as the former Lysol parent-company CEO that abruptly departed earlier this week, is taking over the reins at Starbucks. Narasimhan will formally succeed current-CEO Howard Schultz in April, and he'll have plenty on his plate when he does - NYTimes and WSJ and MarketWatch
Gene-sequencing “powerhouse” Illumina has prevailed in a lawsuit by the FTC aimed at preventing the company from acquiring Grail, “a start-up with blood-test technology for detecting cancer.” In a Thursday ruling, an ALJ found that the vertical acquisition did not run afoul of U.S. antitrust laws. The European Commission is also in the midst of reviewing the deal - NYTimes and WSJ and Law360
Bank of America has launched a new trial program aimed at boosting home ownership rates “among first-time Black and Latino buyers.” The company will offer mortgages to select borrowers “that do not require down payments, minimum credit scores or closing costs” with the goal of helping “individuals and families, particularly Black and Hispanic people, build wealth over time” - NYTimes and MarketWatch
After years of begging from some users (and a bold promise from erstwhile owner Elon Musk), Twitter has launched a pilot program for an edit button—“perhaps the biggest shift at the social media service since 2017,” when the site doubled its character limit - NYTimes and WSJ
Details on what threatens to be a “protracted legal fight” over the Biden administration’s plans to forgive up to $20k in federal student loan debt for eligible borrowers, much of which is centered on the President’s decision to do so via emergency executive powers - NYTimes
As it sits in the midst of a Russian-directed NordStream 1 “maintenance” shutdown, Germany announced this week that it has acquired “a fifth facility for importing liquefied natural gas”—a “floating terminal with a five-year lease” that it hopes will provide its people with “a substantial buffer against any further cutoffs of Russian supplies” - NYTimes
The MN State Fair wraps its glorious run on Monday after what’s been a return-to-normal 12 days in Falcon Heights. That makes today’s reflection on what Princess Kay of the Milky Way will “do with a larger-than-lifesize sculpture of her royal visage carved in butter” as bittersweet [buttersweet?] as it is timely - WSJ
Stay safe, and enjoy your holiday weekend,
MDR
