🌍 Russian strikes continue

Plus: Happy Quadruple Witching Day! [Quartz]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here](. Forward to the friend most likely to have [oat milk in their fridge](. Here’s what you need to know A Russian airstrike hit a theater in Mariupol. Hundreds of Ukrainians are [feared trapped]( underneath the rubble, just as peace talks appeared to be progressing. Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the US Congress. [His requests]( included military aid and a complete departure by US companies from Russia. US president Joe Biden put [an offer together](. An intellectual property waiver for covid-19 vaccines is coming. The US, the EU, India, and South Africa have [reached a tentative agreement](. The Bank of England is following the Fed. The central bank is expected to [lift borrowing rates again today]( in an attempt to combat inflation. Starbucks ordered a grande. Kevin Johnson is stepping down after 13 years, and legendary former CEO Howard Schultz has [volunteered to steer the ship]( in the interim. Walmart has 50,000 vacancies in the US. By the end of April, the retail chain will [add staff]( not just in stores, but also in health and wellness and advertising. Sponsor content by Deloitte Organizations are placing a greater emphasis on trust as a key performance indicator. But what is trust, and how can it be managed? Deloitte research proposes that trust should be seen as a tangible, strategic, and critical asset, given the real, quantifiable value that it can bring to an organization. Learn how trust can be measured. [Learn more]( What to watch for [Quadruple Witching Day](—which really could have been an alternate title for the 1996 film [The Craft](—is when stock index futures, stock index options, stock options, and single stock futures all expire simultaneously. The day is known for heavy trading volume and there can be a great deal of unpredictability in the market because “hedges are no longer needed or are adjusted for new positions,” said George Pearkes, an investment analyst at Bespoke Investment Group. With Russia’s invasion in Ukraine creating new economic pains and a quarter percentage rate hike from the Fed, this Witching Day could be especially unpredictable. The day can increase volumes so much that sometimes it makes it difficult to tell whether a stock is moving [because of contracts expiring or business fundamentals](. While a Witching Day doesn’t automatically mean more volatility in the market, some traders—especially new ones—choose to sit the day out. The US Federal Reserve is fighting inflation The most powerful central bank in the global economy is making it more expensive to borrow in dollars to lower prices. Yesterday, the US Federal Reserve [raised]( the rate at which US banks can lend to one another by 0.25%, which in turn will make car loans and mortgages more expensive. Fed officials think they’ll probably raise rates seven times this year (the [median forecast](). Interest rates are a [crude instrument]( to address inflation that’s largely been driven by supply chain shortages. Making borrowing more expensive disproportionately [hurts Black Americans]( and doesn’t increase the number of semiconductors or houses in the economy. The hope is that the Fed can lower prices without damaging economic recovery. That remains to be seen as Fed officials [downgrade]( their US GDP forecasts for 2022 from 4% to 2.8%. [A chart showing Federal Reserve projections for US GDP, made in December and March 2022 for 2022, 2023, and 2024. You can see that the 2022 projection has decreased considerably since the Fed last made projections in December.] The next decade of innovation [Tom Cruise deep fake conceptual imagery] Photo-illustration by Quartz Ten years ago, Quartz [published a story]( about the most disruptive technologies of 2012. The list included gesture-based interfaces, augmented reality, compressed air batteries, autonomous electric vehicles, and ultra-cheap web devices. Now we’re looking at the decade ahead. The [first chapter of our Next Ten Years series]( looks at five innovations we can expect to make earthshaking impacts on the global economy. Quartz announcement Balancing purpose with profit. Quartz is teaming up with B Lab U.S. & Canada to host a special conversation with leading B Corp CEOs as we discuss business as a force for good and the challenges they face. Join us for this free, virtual event on March 23, 1-2 pm ET. Co-hosted by Zach Seward, CEO, Quartz and Jorge Fontanez, CEO, B Lab U.S. & Canada. You’ll hear from Alison Whritenour, CEO, Seventh Generation and more. [Register today.]( Handpicked Quartz 🔮 [China has big economic plans for its “little giant” companies]( ⛽️ [The price of diesel in Nigeria has doubled]( 🗺 [Where can Indians get a golden visa?]( 🚛 [A fleet of volunteer truckers is keeping aid flowing into Ukraine]( 💎 [Russian sanctions could boost conflict-free, lab-grown diamonds]( 🙈 [Corporate greenwashing is about to get harder]( Sponsor content by Deloitte Organizations are placing a greater emphasis on trust as a key performance indicator. But what is trust, and how can it be managed? Deloitte research proposes that trust should be seen as a tangible, strategic, and critical asset, given the real, quantifiable value that it can bring to an organization. Learn how trust can be measured. [Learn more]( Surprising discoveries Well, Earth’s asteroid alarm works. A [6-foot rock]( tested an early detection system hours before breaking up in the atmosphere—bigger ones would be seen sooner, don’t worry. Public school children in Tokyo can now choose their underwear color. It’s part of a rollback of [strict rules]( that also included having to dye their hair black. Scientists have a plan to trap lusty invasive hornets. They can attract them using [sex pheromone chemicals](—from the hornets, not from the scientists. Cane toad tadpoles evolved to cannibalize. The [behavior]( seems to be an evolutionary response to reduce toad numbers in Australia, where they are an invasive pest. The next step in prosthetics is a brain upgrade. And, naturally, Elon Musk is pursuing it. Listen to the [latest episode of the Quartz Obsession podcast]( to learn about how prosthetics went from repairing the body to enhancing it. 🦿Listen 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, neural modifications, and love-drunk hornets 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 Ana Campoy, Nate DiCamillo, Susan Howson, Morgan Haefner, Ananya Bhattacharya, and Hasit Shah. [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 © 2022 Quartz, All rights reserved.