In need of a last-minute Halloween costume?

Here are five ideas sure to spook your friends' socks off. [Bloomberg]( ‘This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a generation that has been overexposed to Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - Gen Z uses [TikTok humor]( to cope. - Kim Kardashian expands [her scope](. - Amazon’s [AI updates]( are not dope. - Africas [success]( gives reason to hope. Last-Minute Halloween Costumes Let’s take a moment to spare a thought for Gen Z, which “is experiencing childhood and entering adulthood during unconventional times,” Amanda Little [writes](. It has grown up around a global pandemic, successive natural disasters, mass shootings and acts of police brutality. In this context, she writes, satirical humor — in which [almost]( [nothing]( is [off-limits]( — is better seen as a kind of coping mechanism. “Satire can be an important form of expression for a generation that has been overexposed and desensitized to shocking events,” Devorah Heitner, author of Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World, told Amanda. “They can benefit from comedy as a safe and creative way to play at the edge of the outrageous, to test what feelings are appropriate.” In honor of that, I have decided to provide you with some satire of my own, using the Spirit Halloween Costume [meme]( as inspiration. Although some of this year’s festivities may be canceled — Gearoid Reidy has the [scoop]( on Tokyo’s NIMBYs — many trick-or-treaters will be out tomorrow, whether you’re [prepared]( for them or not. And some of them are going to be knocking on your door hoping for [pierogies](! Here’s a few last-minute [costume]( ideas that are sure to spook their socks off: Speaker of the House Have you ever wanted to be a MAGA Republican who may or may not think Noah had [dinosaurs on the ark](? For one night only, you, too, can be speaker of the House. Tell your friends about how you don’t believe humans caused [climate change]( (free read)! Brag about how you played a key role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. They might need to [Google you]( when you tell them you’re dressed up as Mike Johnson, but you like a challenge. If you believe [you can succeed]( where others have failed, then Mark Gongloff and Matt Yglesias say this niche costume is perfect for you. The Promotion You Were Told You’d Get in 2021 Bring your favorite workplace drama to life this Halloween with this tongue-in-cheek costume that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. Everyone’s been in your seat: More than two years ago, your boss told you you’d be up for promotion soon. Several stellar performance reviews later, you’re starting to wonder whether your employer is just stringing you along, promising you advancement and opportunity but failing to deliver. By the time your long-desired new title is awarded, Sarah Green Carmichael [says](, you’ll be so fed up you’ll have one foot out the door — perfect for greeting those eager trick-or-treaters! The Bond Market Make a bold statement this Halloween by dressing up as one of [the most buzzy investments]( on Wall Street. Even though investors are suffering some of their [worst losses]( of the century, higher long-term rates are pushing more people from stocks into bonds, Aaron Brown [writes](. Adding to the fanfare, Fed Chair Jerome Powell has [said]( the surge in yields may even mean [fewer rate hikes]( down the road. The morning after your Halloween soiree, you’ll be [the talk of the town](, no doubt. Bonus points if you buy a dip for the party!! New York City’s Mass Exodus Look just like one of the most talked-about media [narratives]( this Halloween when you dress up in this officially licensed New York City Exodus costume. It comes with everything you need to transform into the rat-infested city you love to hate, including a dozen Herman Miller [office chairs]( and a life-sized [vacant subway car](! If people tell you your costume is outdated, just send them [this column]( by Conor Sen. That’ll put them in their place. The Coming Recession Are you someone who would rather eat Stouffer’s mac and cheese and watch reruns of The Gilmore Girls than attend some lamesauce Halloween party with a host who thinks [witch finger cookies]( constitute a full meal? Then the [Coming Recession]( costume is THE outfit for you. With this getup, you can RSVP “Yes” to the party and never show up! Sure, everyone expects you to arrive. They wait around all night for you to make one of your signature grand entrances but you never do. This kinda upsets your friends at first — especially the ones that went as Goldilocks and the Three Bears — but it’s not your fault your costume is genius: “Americans are deeply pessimistic, with [over 40%]( more people expecting the economy to be worse in the next five years than better,” Claudia Sahm [writes]( (free read). Yet the actual negative vibes don’t always arrive. Kim, You’re Doing Too Much [Sweetie]( Kim Kardashian launched an Ultimate Nipple Bra over the weekend, which is exactly what it sounds like: A push-up bra with built-in nipples. But there’s a climate twist to the product: 10% of the sales from the bra will help Skims invest in carbon removal. (Kim’s new advertisement for the bra [tries very hard]( to sell the concept.) Regardless of what you think about the campaign, it’s an interesting time for a new product launch, considering it has been less than a week since the shapewear brand launched its menswear line. Just today, Skims [announced]( an Official Underwear Partnership with the NBA: Isn’t this a lot for one brand to be doing at once? If you scroll through the Skims [Instagram feed](, it’s a chaotic mix of close-up nip pics and male undergarments. In the bio, it says “COMING OCTOBER 31: SKIMS ULTIMATE NIPPLE BRA” while also having a link to the men’s line, which includes underwear, tees and socks. Then again, maybe the brand is maximizing its profit pie: “In just four years, Skims has grown into an estimated $4 billion company. This year, the company expects to rake in $750 million in sales, a 50% increase compared to $500 million last year,” co-founder [Jens Grede told DealBook]( this summer. “But shapewear for men is a much smaller market,” Leticia Miranda [writes](. Did you know Spanx [launched]( some men’s products in 2010? Yeah, no, you didn’t. And that’s because that line made up only a small percentage of sales. While Kim’s “foray into men’s shapewear is likely to get a lot of buzz,” Leticia explains, it’s unlikely to translate into meaningful sales. I’m no retail expert, but I imagine introducing a controversial nipple bra in the midst of your first-ever men’s campaign isn’t going to help you reach your sales goals. Telltale Charts Although Tyler Cowen says [it’s still too early]( to regulate artificial intelligence, an unfortunate side-effect of the technology is about to hit your Amazon shopping cart. Dave Lee [says]( the online platform is working to give sellers and advertisers the ability to generate fake “lifestyle” images of products using AI. At first this sounds fine, until you realize that it’s going to make every product look similar — including the ones being sold by the super-sketchy third-party sellers in China that could care less about the quality of your toilet-bowl cleaner. With AI, there will be no way to decipher which products are legit and which ones are [junk](. Already, [Amazon now offers]( a new tool that generates product descriptions which make it “harder to spot a low quality product — poorly written descriptions in broken English was a good clue to a bad item,” he writes. Here’s some fun trivia to drop on all your friends at the Halloween party: Africa is home to five of the world’s 10 fastest-growing global economies. Matthew A. Winkler [says]( the coronavirus [accelerated]( the continent’s transition to wireless commerce. “In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 96 wireless accounts for every 100 persons, some of whom have more than one account. That's 39 times the initial usage in 2000,” he writes. Further Reading Free read: We can’t let [the gun lobby]( get away with murder. — Michael R. Bloomberg The auto strikes are over, but [the stock market]( still senses trouble ahead. — Liam Denning Japan needs to [accelerate its exit]( from a regime of yield-curve control. — Mohamed A. El-Erian Israelis and Palestinians must [acknowledge]( each others’ pain. — Marc Champion We’re missing [an enormous loophole]( that’s allowing for fossil-fuel expansion. — Lara Williams Half the world is [switching to electric cars]( and the other is still clinging to gas. — David Fickling Uh-oh: India is pushing the world toward [another rice crisis](. — Mihir Sharma Much like the advent of nuclear weapons, AI will [rearrange the battlefield]( in meaningful ways. — James Stavridis ICYMI The [pharmacy walkout]( has begun. Elon Musk wants X to be [a dating app](. Raising Cane’s is feasting on [junk bonds](. [Premium economy]( is popular on planes. Is Trump eligible? [Colorado]( could hold the answer. Workers are doing less work for [the same pay](. Kickers It’s Phoebe Philo’s [world](, and we’re just [living in it](. This is why you’re [afraid of clowns](. Homebuyers are too rich [to start Airbnbs](. The McFlurry is getting [a sustainable twist](. Marathon runners [do stuff]( when they cross the finish line. Notes: Please send more costume ideas and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads](, [TikTok](, [Twitter](, [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. 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