đ A stronger yuan in Russia
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Hereâs what you need to know
The yuanâs role as Russiaâs foreign currency of choice strengthened. In talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian president Vladimir Putin called for a multipolar economic order.
Economists arenât sure what the US Federal Reserve will do about interest rates. For their part, traders are pr icing in a 75% chance that a quarter-point hike is coming at todayâs meeting.
The US saw its largest monthly increase in existing-home sales since July 2020. The recent rise is a sign that the housing market may be on the mend.
Scotlandâs minimum alcohol price led to a 13% drop in fatalities. New evidence suggests that making booze more expensive probably stopped many people drinking themselves to death.
Chinese censors are still not over Winnie the Pooh
Hong Kongers wonât get the chance to watch Winnie the Pooh go feral on the big screen. The British slasher film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has been canceled in Hong Kong, and while no specific reason was given, it probably had something to do with Xi Jinping memes.
TikTokâs new monthly user record
150 million: Active TikTok users per month in the US
Having nearly half of all US residents on the app is a huge milestone for the Chinese-owned social media company. But a few things overshadow that: potential bans in the US, as well as in the UK and New Zealand, and its CEO Shou Zi Chew testifying in front of US lawmakers on Thursday.
The worldâs water crisis hasnât improved all that much
Just one in four people around the world have access to safe drinking water, leaving billions without a basic necessity, especially in places with the fastest-growing populations.
Quartzâs visual journalist Clarisa Diaz looked at what makes the countries above particularly vulnerable to water shortages and why theyâre an economic threat.
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An extinct saber-toothed marsupial had some crazy cow eyes. The positioning of its orbs made the carnivore something of an evolutionary Mad Lib.
âThe invisible handâ doesnât mean what you think it does. Contemporary understandings of the phrase are very different from what the economist Adam Smith was talking about in the 18th century. We hand you the visible facts in the latest episode of the Quartz Obsession podcast.
đ§ Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Stitcher
đ Or, read the transcript!
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, the real Nickelback, and evolutionary Mad Libs to [email protected]. Reader support makes Quartz available to allâbecome a member. Todayâs Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner.