Here's our collection of interesting news for the day. Check back later for the next round.
Financial Markets and Economy
Wage Pickup Is Very Bright Spot in Britain's Economic Outlook (Bloomberg)
The U.K. economy isn't as bad as all that.
The country that imposes the most restrictions on trade might surprise you (Business Insider)
There is one country that imposes more protectionist measures than any other.
It isn't China, Mexico or Japan. It is the US.
Gold on track for four-day losing streak (Market Watch)
Gold futures were on pace to register a fourth day of losses on Wednesday as stocks looked set to open sharply higher and amid signs that the health of the U.S. economy might warrant higher interest rates.
Higher rates can be a drag on gold, which doesn’t bear interest.
A reading showing that U.S. companies added a better-than-expected 200,000 private-sector jobs in September, according to payroll processor ADP, helped the metal extend its losses early in the session.
Belka Sees Shock-Resistant Zloty as Fed Stokes Global Volatility (Bloomberg)
Poland’s central bank Governor Marek Belka is confident the zloty will extend its run as one of the most stable emerging-market currencies amid growing uncertainty from next month’s parliamentary election as well as external shocks.
Here are Wall Street’s five worst trades this quarter (Quartz)
The third quarter of 2015 marked a significant sentiment shift, as investors suffered a crisis of faith in the economic themes that guided markets since at least the Great Recession, if not before.
Chinese growth with be blistering. Demand for commodities will be there. The Federal Reserve will keep interest rates near zero.
Stocks are surging (Business Insider)
Stocks are sharply higher on Wednesday morning.
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Dow soars 200 points, as stocks try to stem brutal quarterly drop (Market Watch)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average kicked off the final session of the third quarter with a triple-digit gain Wednesday, as U.S. stocks looked set to curtail declines in one of the worst quarter for stocks in four years.
Dow needs to stage a 1,600-point rally to erase quarter’s drop
U.S. Futures Rally as S&P 500 Nears Its Worst Quarter Since 2011 (Bloomberg)
U.S. stocks rose, mirroring a rebound in markets around the world, with traders getting some measure of comfort as equities trimmed their worst quarterly decline since 2011.
There's another mining company that's now doing even worse than Glencore this week (Business Insider)
Mining and commodities giant Glencore caught international headlines on Monday after a spectacular crash wiped nearly a third of the company's market value out in a single trading session.
Chinese stocks log worst quarter since the financial crisis (Market Watch)
Asian markets on Wednesday logged one of their worst quarters since the global financial crisis, with the double threat of higher interest rates in the U.S. and China’s slowdown unlikely to ease heading into October.
While regional stocks and currencies recovered from Tuesday’s steep losses in the last trading day of the quarter, the period was a bruising one for nearly all of Asia’s markets.
Treasuries Fall for First Time This Week as Global Stocks Rally (Bloomberg)
Treasuries fell for the first time this week as a global rally in stocks reduced demand for haven assets, while a report showed the U.S. jobs market strengthened in September.
Stock markets just had their worst quarter since 2011 (Business Insider)
It's the end of September on Wednesday, which means the end of the third quarter — and what a dreadful quarter it's been for markets.
Charting the Markets: Stocks Head for Worst Quarter in Four Years (Bloomberg)
Stock market gains on Wednesday disguise the reality of what happened in third quarter. Asian stocks have dropped for a fifth month, the longest losing run since 2008. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index is also heading for the worst quarter in four years, having dropped 15 percent. China is bottom of the global equity pile after the world's second-biggest economy devalued its currency on Aug. 11.
Most Expensive Stocks Prove Surprising Haven in Europe Slump (Bloomberg)
In a quarter when European equities saw the most volatility in three years and the worst returns in four, investors did something that might seem strange: they bought high.
Glencore Gains for Second Day in London as Metal Prices Rally (Bloomberg)
Glencore Plc recouped most of its losses from Monday’s 29 percent plunge as the shares rallied for a second day, with investors spying a bargain and metals prices rising.
Shanghai Gold Withdrawals at Record Amid Signs of Growing Demand (Bloomberg)
Investors have withdrawn a record amount of gold from the Shanghai Gold Exchange this year, adding to signs that demand in China is recovering after a stock market rout and a shock devaluation of the yuan.
U.K. House Prices Rise 3.8% Year-on-Year, Nationwide Says (Bloomberg)
U.K. house-price growth accelerated in September, according to Nationwide Building Society, increasing the risk of an unsustainable pickup in the market.
Hong Kong Stocks Are Bargains to Pictet After $1.6 Trillion Rout (Bloomberg)
Pauline Dan predicts Hong Kong equities will rebound at least 10 percent by year-end after a selloff this quarter made the Hang Seng Index the worst performer in developed markets. She’s got history on her side.
Startups are setting up funds based on what is trending on Twitter (Business Insider)
Startups that have built businesses parsing Twitter data to find buy and sell signals on stocks are looking to move into the investment game
Miami-based startup iSentium and New York-based Market Prophit are among the companies looking to bring market sentiment into real-time trading for the ordinary investor.
Why it’s suicide to bet on a decline of this stock market (Market Watch)
Investors have taken a beating over the past several weeks, while short sellers have profited.
According to a Bloomberg report this week, a key group of the most-shorted stocks in the S&P 500 Index SPX, +1.37% is down 28% since June, and suffered a one-day slide of more than 5% on Monday, when the benchmark marked its worst performance in four years. (Short selling is a bet on a decline in stocks.)
Politics
Trump's economy vs. Jeb Bush's: Who wins (CNN)
"The economy is what I do well," Trump said Monday as he unveiled his plan to overhaul the tax
So far, Trump's promises to grow the U.S. economy by 3% sound fairly conservative, at least compared to Republican rival Jeb Bush's.
John Boehner's Not Done Yet (The Atlantic)
The most immediate consequence of John Boehner’s decision to resign as House speaker likely will be felt in federal offices throughout the country on Thursday morning: They will open as scheduled.
Before announcing his departure, Boehner had been under heavy pressure from conservatives to shut down the government if Democrats did not agree to defund Planned Parenthood. They’d even threatened to throw him out if he didn’t go along, using thepossibility of a coup as a “sword of Damocles” over the speaker’s head. With Boehner’s decision to exit on his own, the House and Senate are expected to pass a stopgap bill on Wednesday to extend federal funding through December 11, avoiding a shutdown that would have begun at midnight.
Technology
Advanced Robotics on a Dime (Scientific American)
The robotic butlers and sentries of sci-fi fantasies already roam our planet, but you can't have them—not yet. The fate of most would-be home robots breaks in one of two ways: Bots such as Honda's Asimo, a bipedal assistant, exist only as demonstrations from multimillion-dollar research and development laboratories. Robots that consumers could purchase, such as the $1,600 Pepper companion robot, are unaffordable for most. Toy company WowWee aims to change all that when it delivers the first sub-$600 multifunction home-service robot. The freestanding, self-navigating Switchbot—part concierge, part security guard—will roll out in 2016.
Tesla's new car includes a 'bioweapon defense mode' — and that's not a joke (Business Insider)
Tesla unveiled its new Model X SUV crossover Tuesday night at a massive gathering in Fremont, California. CEO Elon Musk gave a thorough presentation in which he described the many capabilities of the $132,000 electric crossover. Equipped with two electric motors and a 90-kWh battery pack, the Model X P90D equipped with Ludicrous Mode can reach 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 155 mph. In addition, the 5,400-pound P90D can go 250 miles on a single charge.
Musk outlined many of the Model X's standout features including its falcon-wing doors, panoramic windshield, intuitive automatic doors, and monopost seats.
Health and Life Sciences
WHO backs 'treat-all' HIV drug plan (BBC)
Everyone who has HIV should be offered antiretroviral drugs as soon as possible after diagnosis, the World Health Organisation says.
This latest policy removes previous limits suggesting patients wait until the disease progresses.
Kid couch potatoes court long-term health risk (CNN)
Telling children to sit still might be exactly the wrong message to give. Long periods of inactivity could cause changes in blood circulation even in young children, which may increase risk of heart disease later in life, according to a study.
Researchers worked with a very small sample. They measured nine girls between 7 and 10 years old for blood flow in their legs before and after they spent three hours in beanbag chairs in the lab watching movies and playing games on iPads. They also measured changes in circulation after a similar three-hour period except that the children got up and exercised for 10 minutes every hour.
Life on the Home Planet
Thousands Gather for Anti-Corruption Marches in South Africa (Bloomberg)
Several thousand people joined marches in three of South Africa’s main cities on Wednesday to protest corruption in the continent’s most-industrialized economy.
More than 350 civic-rights groups, religious organizations and labor unions backed the demonstrations in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban, the first action in what organizers said will be a sustained campaign to stamp out graft.
Hurricane Joaquin threatens East Coast with historic flooding rains, possible direct hit (Mashable)
Hurricane Joaquin is gathering strength about 200 miles east of the central Bahamas, and many computer models are now showing that it has its sights set on making landfall along the East Coast this weekend. However, it is too early to say where the storm may strike, and scenarios in which the storm turns out to sea are still very much in play.
