Bloomberg - Evening Briefing - Biden 2, Texas 0

U.S. 2, Texas 0. That’s the score as far as two huge airlines are concerned when it comes to a governor trying to block federal vaccination requirements. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they will continue to follow federal mandates that employees be vaccinated against Covid-19, ignoring an order by Republican Governor Greg Abbott. In both Texas and Florida, were Abbott and Governor Ron DeSantis have repeatedly moved to block precautions meant to protect against the virus, a new study shows 22,000 people killed by the pathogen didn’t have to die. Here’s the latest on the pandemic. —David E. Rovella

Bloomberg is tracking the coronavirus pandemic and the progress of global vaccination efforts.

The International Monetary Fund is worried that the global economic recovery has lost momentum, pointing to the Covid-19 delta variant, strained supply chains and accelerating inflation, particularly as it applies to food and fuel. The IMF’s assessment is especially pertinent to low-income nations, where access to vaccines remains limited. “Overall, risks to economic prospects have increased, and policy trade-offs have become more complex,” Gita Gopinath, the fund’s director of economic research, said. “The dangerous divergence in economic prospects across countries remains a major concern.” 

Gita Gopinath Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg

China’s top agency in Hong Kong handed the city’s leaders a to-do list with 500 policy demands, further evidence of Beijing’s tightening grip on the Asian financial hub.

Meanwhile, Beijing’s competition watchdog is planning to hire more people in its head office and create departments to better oversee deals and probes. The big crackdown it seems isn’t over.

In the U.K., traders and investment banking staff who plan to work from home regularly should expect the markets watchdog to come knocking. The Financial Conduct Authority on Tuesday warned regulated firms that it has the power to visit any address where work is performed—and that includes your house.

Across the pond, progressive Democrats led by Representative Pramila Jayapa of Washington State said they want to keep their priorities in a compromise version of U.S. President Joe Biden’s broad economic package. This after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested some in the party were willing to jettison parts of their agenda to get the landmark legislation passed.

Pramila Jayapal  Photographer: Bloomberg 

Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange, has launched a $1 billion growth fund in support of the Binance Smart Chain blockchain, with the goal of helping to accelerate adoption of digital assets and blockchain technology.

U.S. hedge fund hub Connecticut is home to the fattest retirement accounts in the country. Residents there have socked away an average of about $545,000 in retirement savings. New Jersey came in second at $514,000.

• Supply chain crisis: Global port trackers reveal the worst ship logjams.
• Kim Jong Un shows off an array of missiles meant for the U.S.
• Banks analysts warn 60/40 portfolios could be battered by inflation.
• Apple plans to slash iPhone production goals due to the chip crunch.
• But it’s set to unveil its first MacBook Pro revamp in five years.
• Dying gas wells all across Appalachia is making one company rich. 
• Lego ends marketing of different toys for girls and boys.

A lot has been said about how the pandemic is motivating Americans to be more discerning about what they put in their bodies. But the crisis may also be having a big effect on what they put on their bodies. The concept of so-called clean beauty—makeup and skincare products marketed as free of harmful, artificial ingredients—is the latest catchphrase in a burgeoning world of items sold as sustainable, environmentally conscious or simply safer. But its ill-defined nature and a lucrative $1.6 billion market may combine to make it ripe for a new kind of greenwashing.

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Bloomberg Prognosis—Reshaping Cancer Care: The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the inequality of the global healthcare system. In the realm of cancer care, many patients still lack access even as the medical community makes progress on research. Join us Oct. 13 to hear from healthcare executives on the frontlines of cancer research, including Novartis, Siemens Healthineers, and Oxford Martin, as they discuss revamped treatments and new technologies. Register here.