Good morning. Up for a challenge? Money Scoop, our personal finance newsletter, has unleashed two challenges to help you become smarter with your money and optimize your wealth potential...in just four weeks. - Budgeting Challenge: Short, actionable tips to get a handle on your spending habits and plan for the long-term.
- Investing Challenge: You'll learn how the pros analyze stocks, the role of index funds in your portfolio, and an encyclopedia of investing terms.
We're signing up for both. If you want to join, check out the challenges here. —Jamie Wilde, Max Knoblauch, Neal Freyman | | | |  | Nasdaq | 15,129.09 | | | | | S&P | 4,519.63 | | | | | Dow | 35,457.31 | | | | | 10-Year | 1.663% | | | | | Bitcoin | $63,917.60 | | | | | J&J | $163.87 | | | | *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 10:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. | - Markets: The S&P 500 posted its fifth straight day in the green led by health care and tech stocks. Bitcoin, meanwhile, is creeping up to its all-time high as the first bitcoin futures ETF from ProShares launched yesterday.
- Covid: With UK cases on the rise, researchers are closely watching a mutation of the Delta variant known as AY.4.2, or "Delta Plus." Over in Brazil, a congressional panel is planning to recommend charges of mass homicide against President Jair Bolsonaro over allegations that he intentionally allowed the coronavirus to spread through the country and kill more than 600,000 Brazilians.
| | | Squid Game (Netflix) It's Netflix. The streaming service said it added 4.4 million net subscribers last quarter to top analyst predictions. Compare that to a measly 5.5 million net subscribers for the entire first half of 2021, and it seems Netflix got its mojo back after an awkward post-quarantine period. The star of Netflix's summer slate? Squid Game. The gory Korean drama has become Netflix's most popular show by far, with 142 million accounts tuning in within its first four weeks—demolishing runner-up Bridgerton's lifetime viewership of 82 million by 73%. - Squid Game reportedly generated $900 million in value, and it cost only about $21 million to make.
- It was also the No. 1 show in 94 different countries, showcasing Netflix's extensive global reach.
Netflix isn't just looking beyond borders for new customers, but also to different mediums besides TV and movies. Specifically, video games. In yesterday's shareholder letter, Netflix highlighted that it recently a) acquired video game developer Night School Studio and b) added games to its mobile app in Poland, Spain, and Italy. Why? Because the competition has never been fiercer. Netflix acknowledged that it competes with a "staggeringly large set of activities for consumers' time and attention." Netflix said it recorded a 14% engagement boost when Facebook went down for several hours on Oct. 4. But unrest is lurking beneath the surface. Some Netflix employees will rally in front of the streamer's LA headquarters this morning ahead of a planned virtual walkout. The protest is the crest of a building wave of backlash to Dave Chappelle's standup special The Closer, a Netflix original show that critics say is transphobic.—JW | | | Giphy Whether you were jabbed with Moderna, Pfizer, or another Covid-19 vaccine, you may soon be able to switch brands for your booster. The FDA could approve a mix-and-match strategy as early as tonight, when it's expected to announce its authorization of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters. Meet "heterologous prime-boost" Not a Transformer. It's the scientific term for receiving two different types of vaccines. The pandemic's putting this strategy to the test, and so far, the results are promising: - When Europe allowed young people who got AstraZeneca's vaccine to switch to Pfizer for their second shots, their immune systems produced more antibodies than those who stuck with one type, researchers found.
- A recent study of 50 volunteers found that people who received two J&J shots saw their antibodies increase 4x, but those who switched to Pfizer for their boosters got a 35x power-up and a 76x boost from Moderna.
Zoom out: Immunity benefits aside, allowing patients to switch boosters could help speed up the distribution of vaccines.—JW | | Over the past year, US public companies have added the most diverse group of new directors ever, according to two new studies. Ethnic and racial minorities accounted for 47% of new directors compared to 22% the previous year, according to a study by executive search firm Spencer Stuart. - One-third of new directors added to corporate boards between May 2020 and May 2021 were Black, up from just 11% the year prior.
- Both studies show that more than one-third of S&P 500 boards have three female directors, and roughly one-quarter of them have four. Just 10% of boards had four female directors in 2016.
The shifting makeup of boards comes as public companies face regulatory pressure to make their boards look more like America. In August, the SEC approved a rule that companies listing on the Nasdaq meet minimum diversity requirements for their boards, or explain why they missed those minimums. And a pair of recent California laws also established diversity requirements for public companies based in the state (though one of them is facing legal challenges).—MK | | TOGETHER WITH ATHLETIC GREENS | | Being a human takes work. You have to sleep, eat, not stare directly at the sun, and like a million other things. Which is why it's always fab when a product like AG1 from Athletic Greens comes around. It's the all-in-one nutritional powder that makes getting your nutrients easier and more delicious than ever before. AG1 is made with 75 premium ingredients combining eight essential products—a daily multivitamin, superfood complex, probiotics, adaptogens, and more—to give you the power to take control of your health. So instead of needing a medicine cabinet full of products that are too expensive, too gross, or not actually helpful, you can have one single scoop of AG1 every day and start living the Essentialist Nutrition lifestyle. It's time to make it easy on yourself, while also doing what's best for your body with AG1 by Athletic Greens. Try AG1 today and get a year's supply of Vitamin D and five travel packs for free. | | Stat: The place with the highest percentage of people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in the US is not a state but a territory—Puerto Rico. 72.2% of the island's total population is fully vaxxed. Here's a quick thread on how they did it. Quote: "I have been cool for a long time, but I'm even more cool now." 80-year-old Martha Stewart released a collection of NFTs yesterday, including one of her "thirst trap" selfie taken last summer, according to the WSJ. Read: 12 predictions for the future of music. (The Honest Broker) | | | Mario Tama/Getty Images Seville, Spain, will become the first city in the world to begin naming and categorizing heat waves, similar to the system already in place for hurricanes. Kicking off in 2022, the plan is part of an increasing global effort to bring more attention to heat waves as an immediate threat and symptom of climate change. Zoom out: Climate experts and public health officials have said that naming heat waves could help make an invisible threat like heat more tangible, and allow local authorities to more easily communicate about and plan for them. The US isn't naming heat waves just yet, but the government is taking steps to address the dangerous effects heat has on workers (particularly, those in low-income groups). Following the hottest summer on record, the Biden administration started drafting rules on workplace heat dangers, and said the Labor Department will prioritize work inspections on days when the heat index surpasses 80 degrees. Workplace injuries caused by extreme heat are significantly undercounted (by about 20,000/year in California alone), and extreme heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the country, according to the National Weather Service.—MK | | - Facebook will change its name next week to reflect its plan to build a metaverse, according to The Verge. In other words, it's pulling an Alphabet.
- A Morning Brew + Generation Lab poll of college students shows the booming buy now, pay later sector is still up for grabs.
- Google unveiled its latest high-end smartphones, the Pixel 6 (starting at $599) and Pixel 6 Pro ($899).
- Procter & Gamble said it was going to raise prices for some grooming, beauty, and oral care products to offset higher costs.
| | Is your house haunted? Policygenius doesn't deal in seances, but they can help you look for home and auto coverage at prices that don't do jump-scares. Folks saved an average of $1,250 per year compared to their current policies. Start comparing plans today.* Identity investment, identified. Trust Stamp is the future of global identity, and your opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the $9.4B digital identity verification market. Invest in Trust Stamp rn.* "It can be done": Read Colin Powell's 13 rules of leadership.
Best of TikTok: This guy gamed the Six Flags season pass to eat really cheaply. And be sure to consult the wise Noodle to see if today's a Bones or a No Bones Day. *This is sponsored advertising content | | | Looking to make meaningful changes in your career? Morning Brew has you covered. MB/A, our virtual 8-week program designed to accelerate the careers of top-performing professionals, is now accepting applications for our Winter Cohorts. Whether you're trying to become a better leader, get a big promotion, grow your network, or have the next great startup idea, MB/A can get you where you want to be. Learn more about MB/A and apply here! Not quite ready to apply? Sign up for our next info session and meet the MB/A team here. | | Word Search: We're heading to the West Wing for today's puzzle. See if you can identify the US presidents here. Soup for You Soup season has arrived, so let's test your knowledge of various global soups. We'll give you a soup or a stew and you have to name the country where it originated. - Borscht
- Miso
- Bouillabaisse
- Tom Yum
- Goulash
- Gumbo
- Phở
- Gazpacho
| | | 1. Borscht = Ukraine
2. Miso = Japan
3. Bouillabaisse = France
4. Tom Yum = Thailand
5. Goulash = Hungary
6. Gumbo = United States
7. Phở = Vietnam
8. Gazpacho = Spain | | HOW WAS TODAY'S NEWSLETTER? | | |
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