How did markets react to President Trump's positive Covid test?
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October 03, 2020 [View Online]( | [Sign Up](
[Daily Brew](
TOGETHER WITH
[Athletic Greens](
Good morning. Obviously lots of significant news going on in the country so let's get right to it.Â
MARKETS
NASDAQ
11,075.02
- 2.22%
S&P
3,348.44
- 0.96%
DJIA
27,682.81
- 0.48%
GOLD
1,907.50
- 0.46%
10-YR
0.693%
+ 1.60 bps
OIL
36.99
- 4.47%
*As of market close
- POTUS: President Trump was flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last night as a â[precautionary measure](â after testing positive for Covid-19, according to the White House. Officials said heâll spend a few days there working out of the military hospitalâs presidential suite. Trumpâs doctor said he has been injected with an experimental antibody cocktail to fight the virus.
JOBS
[So How Was the September Jobs Report?](
[Not great, Bob gif]
Giphy / Mad Men
The U.S. economy [added 661,000 jobs]( last month, and the unemployment rate dipped to 7.9% from 8.4% in August.
What it means: The rate of the recovery in the labor market is slowing down. This was the first jobs report since April that showed net hiring below 1 million new jobs.
The slowdown is not exactly a surprise. Economists know the unemployment rate is a lot like your gym routineâeasily knocked off track and sluggish to return to full strength. Take these stats, for example:Â
- More than half of the jobs lost in March-April have now been recovered, but that means there are still [10.7 million fewer people]( with jobs than before the pandemic.
- At the current rate, it would take 16 months to recoup all those jobs...but as we just mentioned, the hiring pace is slowing down.Â
Big picture
This jobs report capped off a week in which [big corporate names]( announced drastic reductions to their workforces:
- Disney cut 28,000 workers at its slumping resorts.
- United and American Airlines began to furlough 32,000 employees after stimulus discussions stalled.
- Other blue-chip companies, including Allstate and Goldman Sachs, also announced layoffs.
These moves show that the coronavirus is still crimping growth nearly seven months after initial shutdowns. With most of the emergency aid from March spent by now, businesses will increasingly look to the government to ensure the recovery doesnât completely stall out.
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STOCKS
[Stocks Drop, Stop, Then Roll](
When President Trump [tweeted]( that he and Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 the world nervously eyed the financial markets to see how they would react.Â
It was ugly, initially
Early Friday morning, U.S. stock futures, which often show how the market will move before it opens, [dropped](.Â
- Why? Investors donât like uncertainty, and even though First Lady Melania Trump said she and her husband were feeling good, no one knew how severe the presidentâs illness was.Â
But as the shock of the news faded, the market began to recover after the White House said President Trump was experiencing [mild symptoms]( and felt âenergetic.â The Dow and S&P 500 finished the day with only marginal losses.Â
The mini-rebound was also fueled by comments made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who signaled a standalone House bill [providing aid]( for struggling airlines could be coming soon. Whether itâs part of a broader relief package or not is unclear, since Republicans and Democrats remain [far apart]( on the size and scope of the relief efforts. But Pelosi said yesterday there was reason for optimism.
Looking ahead...Trumpâs health introduces a huge layer of uncertainty into what was already a volatile election cycle.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
[Facebook Hands Out a 10% on the Tomatometer](
[Teenager looking at phone ]
Netflix
For most people, the hardest part of watching the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma is fighting off the urge to check the very platforms the doc is criticizing.
For Facebook, the stakes were higher. The company responded to the documentary yesterday in a [blog post](, arguing the film âgives a distorted view of how social media platforms work to create a convenient scapegoat for what are difficult and complex societal problems.âÂ
The post rebutted claims made by The Social Dilemma that 1) its users are the product, 2) the platform helps spread misinformation, and 3) its algorithms are sinister in any way.
Why is Zuck doing movie reviews?
The Social Dilemma, which was among Netflix's top 10 most-watched shows in September, attacks social media companies for irresponsibly manipulating their users. Facebook is also [implicated]( by the documentary for its role in election interference, ethnic violence, and increased rates of depression and suicide.
Bottom line: With lawmakers circling, FB is trying to win in the court of public opinion...one strongly-worded blog post at a time.Â
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SPONSORED BY ATHLETIC GREENS
[Fernando Marathanoâs Secret Supplement](#)
[Athletic Greens](
(Fernando Marathano is a very real superathlete we definitely didnât make up.)
[Fernando Marathano]( has held pilates sessions on the moonâwithout oxygen. He has circumnavigated the globeâswimming backstroke.
When asked about his secret, he replied two words: â[Athletic Greens](.â
It makes sense that [Athletic Greens]( helps Fernando Marathano go the extra mile, because Athletic Greens is so much more than a multivitamin. Where most multivitamins stop, Athletic Greens gets goingâadding probiotics, prebiotics, superfood green blends, [and more](.
Do you think Fernando Marathano has time to stress about gaps in his diet? No. You shouldnât either. Athletic Greens gives you daily immune support, gut health, increased energy and the most comprehensive nutritional formula [all in one scoop](.
What does Fernando Marathano plan to do with [Athletic Greensâ help]( next? Run from Hawaii to San Francisco, he says. (But first, heâs gonna build the bridge himself.)
For added immunity support, Brew readers get a full year supply of Vitamin D free with their [first Athletic Greens purchase here](.
LOGISTICS
[Uberâs Freight Arm Raiâ](
[Long-haul trucks]
Getty Images
Sorry, gonna have to stop you mid-headline. Uber has a freight arm? Yes? Okay, go on.
Yesterday, Uber said it received a [$500 million investment]( in its freight business from Greenbriar Equity Group. The unit is now worth a meaty $3.3 billion.
But what does it do? Uber Freight acts as a digital brokerage that connects shippers and long-haul truckers in the deeply fragmented world of logistics. Itâs not a huge part of Uberâs overall business, but at 9.4% of the companyâs total revenue, itâs not peanuts.
- Plus, itâs growing (+27% annually last quarter) at a time when Uberâs ride-sharing bookings have shrunk due to the pandemic. The companyâs other fast-growing unit, Uber Eats, is [now bigger]( than Rides.   Â
Looking ahead...this investment allows Uber Freight to extend its runway âindefinitely,â according to [Freight Waves](, as well as implement new tech and expand into new markets.
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EDUCATION
[School Photos](#)
[School during the pandemic ]
Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
In the past few months, schools that had been shut down due to Covid-19 have cautiously reopened for in-person instruction. This being a pandemic and all, theyâre following strict safety protocols, introducing face masks and temperature checks into a sea of black JanSports.Â
We put together a photo gallery of fascinating pandemic-era school scenes in 13 different countries. [Check it out](.Â
WHAT ELSE IS BREWING
- [Tesla]( delivered an impressive 139,300 vehicles last quarter, topping expectations.
- [Walmart]( agreed to sell its British supermarket chain, Asda, for $8.8 billion.Â
- [Airbnb]( is aiming to raise $3 billion in an IPO that could come in December, reports Reuters.Â
- The [Tokyo Stock Exchange]( resumed operations Friday after suffering its worst outage in history Thursday.
- [SNL]( returns for its latest season tonight. Chris Rock is hosting and Megan Thee Stallion is the musical performer.
SPONSORED BY HPE
[HPE](
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks threaten your data, revenue, and brandâand amid the pandemic, the need to step up protections has never been greater. During a DDoS attack, online services can be slowed down or completely stopped. This type of disruption can drive customers away and potentially cost millions of dollars per minute of downtime. [Organizations should follow this three-pronged approach to prepare for and mitigate DDoS attacks](.
BREW'S BETS
Improve your writing: Brew grammar guru Eliza Carter teaches you how to avoid clichés in this [hilarious piece](. Itâs a must-read before you draft your new cover letter this weekend.Â
Saturday conversation starters:
- The Social Network came out [ten years ago](...what were you like on social media in 2010?
- Whatâs an [unsexy business]( thatâs crushing the game?
- Are [neck gaiters]( effective at fighting the spread of Covid-19?
SATURDAY HEADLINES
We all know that bird is the word, but sometimes words about birds aren't quite true. Three of these avian-themed headlines are legit, while one isn't real. Can you spot the fake?
- âDo crows possess a [form of consciousness](?â
- âParrots were removed from a UK safari park after [teaching each other to swear]( and then laughing about itâ
- âCheating birds [mimic host nestlings]( to deceive foster parentsâ
- âSwans with brains 1/300 the size of orangutansâ [pass the same IQ test](â
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SATURDAY HEADLINES ANSWER
Swans, while lovely to look at, arenât known for their powerful intellect.Â
           Â
Written by [Neal Freyman]( and [Toby Howell](
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