Hello, Quartz members, and welcome to Sunday Reads!
Tim Walz and JD Vance held a vice presidential debate, 45,000 dockworkers walked off the job from Maine to Texas but quickly came back, and the damage from Hurricane Helene was immense.
Now it’s Sunday, and time to shift your gaze to some hand-selected reads. Here are some of our favorite Quartz stories from the week, plus a sneak peek at one story coming next week to get your day started.
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5 things we especially liked on Quartz
💍 Lord (or Lady) of the Rings: Oura is out with its latest smart ring, a multi-functional health sensor that looks like and is worn like a ring. It’s aimed at women and now comes with a mobile app. Samsung has its own competing offer, the Galaxy Ring. Whether you’re feeling like Frodo or Princess Leia, Quartz’s Bruce Gil has the latest.
🪫 Poles apart: It’s hardly shockingin our increasingly polarized country, but Democrats are far more likely to buy electric vehicles than Republicans. As William Gavin reports, Republicans think Democrats are trying to ban gasoline vehicles. Even auto CEOs have been taken aback by the divide. Drive into the debate.
🚢 America runs on — empty containers? What’s America’s biggest export? By one measure, it’s empty shipping containers. A staggering 75% of containers coming into the U.S. go back home empty. Francisco Velasquez has the details on why what comes in doesn’t go out.
💥 Arbitrate this! Uber convinced a New Jersey appeals court that a pair of Uber passengers who were seriously injured when their ride ran a red light can’t sue. The couple’s daughter had ordered Uber Eats on her mother’s phone, and the company argued that’s enough to force the injured couple to go through arbitration. Bruce Gil has more.
🏡 Staying home? High mortgage rates are still damping hopes for new homeowners, but refinancing is taking off, with applications up 186% from a year ago. Still, most homeowners are holding out for mortgage rates to drop below 6% before deciding to move. Rocio Fabbro has the numbers.
1 sneak peek
Banks and financial tech companies need each other. Banks are stable and reliable. Fintechs are innovators and risk-takers. Their relationship is crucial to the economy. But will the U.S. actually help them tie the knot? Rocio Fabbro reports on how regulators are struggling to wrangle these partnerships. Visit qz.com on Monday morning for a look at the future of everything.
What we’re watching this week
Monday: Nvidia’s AI Summit opens in Washington.
Tuesday: Amazon Prime Day.
Wednesday: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will speak on the Tech Unheard podcast.
Thursday: Elon Musk is set to make his long-delayed Tesla robotaxi reveal. Delta Air Lines reports earnings.
Friday: JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo report earnings.
Thanks for reading! Here’s to the week ahead, and don’t hesitate to reach out with comments, questions, feedback, joy, or a container to fill. Sunday Reads was brought to you by Peter S. Green, Audrey McNamara, and Morgan Haefner.
