America’s jobs report for September, released on Friday, will reverberate through global markets. Investors are trying to work out how aggressively the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates. Now that inflation is receding, the crucial variable is the job market. The economy probably added 150,000 jobs last month, according to the median forecast, while the unemployment rate may have remained at 4.2%. In that scenario the Fed will probably cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point at its next meeting in November, smaller than its half-point cut in September.

Data released earlier this week painted a mixed picture. The number of Americans quitting their jobs slumped to its lowest since the summer of 2020, a sign of potential weakening in hiring prospects. But a separate survey registered an unexpected uptick in private-sector hiring last month. If there are cracks in the American labour market, they appear to be mild for now.

On Friday the European Union voted in favour of signing tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese-made electric vehicles into law for five years. The European Commission has accused China of unfairly subsidising its EV industry. It fears that cheaper imports pose a threat to European carmakers.

Five countries voted against the measure, according to Euronews, including Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. Germany has been a particularly vocal opponent. It exports plenty of cars to China, and several of its largest carmakers also have factories there.

As for Chinese carmakers, higher duties may temporarily slow their progress and give Europeans the opportunity to catch up. But the tariff barrier is unlikely to prevent them from capturing market share. Having set prices in Europe a little lower than for competing European models, they have scope to cut them further.

When an Israeli bomb killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, last week it also decapitated a fearsome militia and dealt a blow to Iran’s “axis of resistance”, a constellation of proxy forces. His funeral is rumoured to be held on Friday. Since then, Iran has fired directly on Israel. But it appeared to fail in its objectives of hitting two air-force bases and a military-intelligence facility. Most of the missiles were intercepted and destroyed mid-air.

Iran is ending this year weaker than it began . Although it has warned Israel against hitting back, Israel’s retaliation will probably be of a far greater magnitude. And the proxies that are its first line of defence are struggling. Hamas is markedly weaker after a year of war in Gaza; the Houthis’ income has been cut along with the flow of goods from Hodeida, Yemen’s main port. As Iran mourns Nasrallah, it also mourns the depletion of its power.

On Friday the European Union voted in favour of signing tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese-made electric vehicles into law for five years. The European Commission has accused China of unfairly subsidising its EV industry. It fears that cheaper imports pose a threat to European carmakers.

Five countries voted against the measure, according to Euronews, including Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. Germany has been a particularly vocal opponent. It exports plenty of cars to China, and several of its largest carmakers also have factories there.

As for Chinese carmakers, higher duties may temporarily slow their progress and give Europeans the opportunity to catch up. But the tariff barrier is unlikely to prevent them from capturing market share. Having set prices in Europe a little lower than for competing European models, they have scope to cut them further.

Young women have often held the pop charts. (This summer has been dominated by artists like Taylor Swift, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter.) All-male bands, though capable of filling stadiums, often lag behind them in record sales. Coldplay have managed to sell both tickets and records in vast numbers. On Friday they release “Moon Music”, their tenth studio album, while still on tour for “Music Of The Spheres”, its bestselling predecessor.

The secret to Coldplay’s success lies partly in their ability to adapt to new musical trends. The British band have moved away from the sometimes dour indie rock of their early albums for more upbeat pop and electronic tunes. They’ve also collaborated with newer popular artists like Burna Boy and Little Simz.

Coldplay have also expanded their reach beyond Europe and America, tapping into new audiences. The “Music Of The Spheres” tour, which has sold over 10m tickets, includes stops in Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, Seoul and Hong Kong.