The global supply chain is recovering

Plus: Why US gas prices are surging [Quartz]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here](. Forward to one of your [Zoom friends](. Here’s what you need to know Global supply chain problems are receding. But executives and economists say we’ll have to wait [until next year]( for a return to normal. At least five people are dead after a car drove into a US holiday parade. [Dozens more were injured]( when a red SUV hit a crowd in Waukesha, Wisconsin. One person is in custody. Ambani and Paytm triggered India’s stock market woes. [The Sensex fell]( for a fourth straight day after [Paytm’s disappointing IPO](, and [Reliance’s collapsed Saudi Aramco deal](. Anti-lockdown protests erupted in Europe. Thousands of people [oppose new covid-19 restrictions]( across the EU as cases rise, and many refuse vaccinations. London’s new east-west railway began final tests. The [long-overdue Elizabeth Line](, Europe’s biggest infrastructure project, was scheduled to be completed in 2018. Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai said she’s safe. A video call with [Olympic officials confirmed]( she’d resurfaced several weeks after [accusing a former Chinese minister]( of sexual assault. Sponsor content by The Motley Fool Does your portfolio include the next potential big thing? Since 1993 Motley Fool has given trusted investment guidance, often spotting trends and endorsing game-changing companies when they were less than $50 a share. For $99 a year, Motley Fool Stock Advisor gives you access to their monthly recommendations, as well as, access to all of their past picks for long-term investors. [Sign up for a free copy]( of 5 Growth Stocks under $49 today. What to watch for REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Zoom, the video conferencing darling, is expected to report more than $1 billion in revenue for the second straight quarter today. Growth has slowed for the company after [surging 326%]( year over year in 2020, as workers return to offices. The company also faces fierce competition from Facebook, Microsoft Teams, and Verizon. But Zoom’s market is only likely to grow: Company executives have promised a “[new normal](” with an annual growth rate of around 50% as many workers say they prefer a hybrid work environment that combines office and work-from-home options. Corporate America appears to be on board: Zoom’s enterprise contracts with large employers [more than doubled last quarter](. Why US gas prices are surging Gasoline prices across the US are rising. After the national average price for regular gas bottomed out beneath $2 per gallon in April 2020, it has shot back up to $3.32—the highest it’s been since 2014, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). [A line graph showing the change in US gas inventory versus US gas price. From 2018 through 2021, every time gas inventory decreases, price increases. This happens most drastically in 2021.] There’s [a simple explanation]( for why US gas prices are rising: It’s yet another instance of the [pandemic]( throwing [supply and demand out of whack](. The EIA predicts that gas prices will peak in November and fall steadily for the following year. The asynchronous age Our mass acclimation to remote (pandemic) work has accelerated a movement that not only sees being in the office as optional, but real-time communication and synchronized work schedules as well. That’s asynchronous work, and it’s here to stay. By the digits: [5:]( Hours per day that nine out of 10 workers spent checking messenger apps [20%:]( Share of time by which the average meeting has shrunk since the pandemic began [1 in 4:]( Ratio of workers who said they would take a 10% to 20% pay cut to work flexibly after the pandemic [$317 billion:]( Estimated amount companies spent on information technology for remote work in 2020 Asynchronous work was the topic of our latest [Forecast email](, which offers Quartz members a sharp look at an emerging trend. ✦ Read the Forecast and other exclusive emails during your [free one-week trial](. Handpicked Quartz 🚢 [Shipping lines have reached the peak of their pricing power]( 📜 [Cryptocurrency investors tried to buy the US Constitution at Sotheby’s]( 💵 [How to protect your money from inflation]( 🎮 [Activision Blizzard is clinging to its embattled CEO]( 🌾 [The twists that forced Modi’s U-turn on controversial farm laws]( 🎤 [Spotify is taking aim at the karaoke industry]( Sponsor content by The Motley Fool Does your portfolio include the next potential big thing? Since 1993 Motley Fool has given trusted investment guidance, often spotting trends and endorsing game-changing companies when they were less than $50 a share. For $99 a year, Motley Fool Stock Advisor gives you access to their monthly recommendations, as well as, access to all of their past picks for long-term investors. [Sign up for a free copy]( of 5 Growth Stocks under $49 today. Surprising discoveries Scientists found a new phase of water. The “[weird, hot, black](” superionic ice is made by taking a laser to water crushed between two diamonds. Monarch butterflies are rebounding. After years of decline, the species has been seen coating eucalyptus in California “[like orange lace](.” Tesla drivers got locked out of their cars. It turns out app keys aren’t [useful during outages](. Researchers are on the quest for the ultimate chickpea. A [map of the legume’s genome]( may help farmers seed more climate-resistant crops… …Which could have been useful in 1945, when the US paid farmers to plant an invasive legume. It didn’t go well. Listen to [the latest episode of our Quartz Obsession podcast]( on kudzu to find out why. 🎧 Listen to all this season’s episodes on [Apple Podcasts]( | [Spotify]( | [Google]( | [Stitcher]( SPREAD THE WORD Over 500k readers and counting. You already know why half a million people read the Daily Brief, so why not spread the word? [Share the Daily Brief today]( and get rewarded. Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, new variations of ice, and your best legume recipes to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by [downloading our iOS app]( and [becoming a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah, Michael Coren, Lila MacLellan, Nicolás Rivero, and Morgan Haefner. [facebook]( [twitter]( [external-link]( Enjoying Quartz Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here]( to sign up. If you’re looking to unsubscribe, [click here](. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10010 | United States Copyright © 2021 Quartz, All rights reserved.