We know we’re not supposed to say this, but...yesterday morning delivered a double shot of goodness that made coffee unnecessary.

First, the jobs report

The US cruised past expectations, adding 531,000 jobs in October while the unemployment rate ticked down from 4.8% to 4.6%. Job gains were sprinkled across industries, with the badly bruised hospitality and leisure sector picking up the most (+164,000).

• Even better, the August and September jobs reports were not nearly as disappointing as we thought. August was revised upward by 117,000 jobs, and September’s by 118,000.

Why it matters: The labor market is back on the open highway after getting slowed down by the Delta variant and a historic shortage of workers. That shortage, however, does seem to be sticking around. The labor-force participation rate, which measures the share of adults with jobs or looking for work, hasn’t improved in the last few months.

Next, the Covid pill

Pfizer released clinical trial data for its Covid-19 pill, and it was a report card any helicopter parent would be proud of: The treatment reduced hospitalizations and deaths in the most vulnerable patients by 89%, a result so good Pfizer halted clinical trials early.

Antiviral pills like Pfizer’s and Merck’s (which was just granted authorization in the UK) are crucial tools in the fight to turn Covid-19 from a pandemic to an endemic virus. When taken at home within days of discovering Covid symptoms, these pills are much more accessible than current treatments, which require a visit to a medical office.

Why it matters: We know you’ve been hearing this for a while, but this time it really is true...the end is in sight. With booster shots flowing and effective pills on their way to authorization, by January 4—the vaccination mandate deadline for large US employers—“this pandemic may well be over” in the US, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said yesterday.—NF

Compare the rebound in jobs in the most recent recession (red) to the financial crisis of 2007–2008 (blue). Via Calculated Risk.

Thousands of young people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, occupied Glasgow yesterday to protest climate inaction as the COP26 conference wrapped up its first week. How does Greta think it’s going? “It is not a secret that COP26 is a failure,” she said.

While environmental activists bashed the conference for failing to deal with the crisis, representatives did announce some progress. Here’s a recap of the biggest announcements:

• 23 countries joined 167 others in agreeing to ditch new coal production over the next several decades. Still, the world’s biggest coal consumer, China, didn’t add any updates to its promise in September to stop building new coal plants abroad.
• 100+ countries representing over 85% of the world’s forests said they would end and begin reversing deforestation by 2030.
• 105 countries signed onto the Global Methane Pledge to cut emissions 30% by 2030.
• More than 450 finance firms joined GFANZ to make the Paris agreement’s targets a central focus of their investments, and India is committed to hitting net-zero emissions by 2070.

Looking ahead...some experts say there’s a “cautious optimism” going into Week 2 as negotiations on a global carbon market deal take center stage.—MM

Quote: “I realize I'm in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now.”

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, in an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show,”  confirmed that he hasn’t been vaccinated, said the media was on a “witch hunt” to determine which NFL players were vaccinated or not, and revealed that he took treatment recommendations from a “now good friend of mine Joe Rogan.” Watch the full thing here.

Stat: Starbucks said it can customize beverages in 170,000+ different ways beyond the drinks on its standard menu. TikTok influencers are concocting the most outrageous combinations possible for videos, driving baristas insane, writes the WSJ.

Read: The worst gadgets we’ve ever touched. (The Verge)

Met each other in person. Over 5,000 JPEG lovers schmoozed in NYC this week for the non-fungible token conference NFT.NYC. In 2019, the event had just 460 attendees.

• The conference’s popularity reflects the rapid growth of the NFT market. Last quarter, more than $10 billion worth of NFTs were sold, up 700% from the quarter before, per DappRadar.

Some notable schmoozers: Mike Winkelmann, aka Beeple (the artist behind the most expensive NFT ever), director Quentin Tarantino, YouTuber Logan Paul, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, and Morning Brew’s Dan Toomey.

• Toomey found a guy at the conference with a diamond tattooed on his hand, which...not surprising.

At the 4-day event dubbed “Crypto Coachella” or “Woodstock for NFTs,” more than 600 speakers discussed the finer points of non-fungibility at numerous panels. Plus, there were parties: at the always-classy Margaritaville Times Square, the Edison Hotel’s rooftop, and on a yacht, hosted by Bored Ape Yacht Club, which makes NFTs of ape avatars.

Bottom line: Normally, NFT fans interact behind an avatar on a Discord server, but the scale of this year’s NFT.NYC highlights 1) the growth of the space during the pandemic and 2) the community forming behind Pudgy Penguins and Cryptopunks.—JW

Fashion goals: Making bomb-looking outfits out of Marvel superheroes.

Weekend conversation starters:

• What’s the best way to reheat a pizza?
• A moose crashed Algebra class
• Did you know pebble art was a thing?
• Any Taylor Swift fans?