Why do people sleep? And other unanswered questions | Fresh Take: Halloween’s $3 Billion Candy Stash | China’s banks may be loaded up with hidden bad loans | Goldman Sachs exec: The No. 1 soft skill successful people use to get ahead at work—and how to develop it

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Why do people sleep? And other unanswered questions - The Economist

Mapping the Darkness. By Kenneth Miller. Hachette Books; 432 pages; $32.50. Oneworld Publications; £18.99

BIRDS DO IT. Bees do it. People do it, though often less than they would like to. Owls do it in the daytime. Even Caenorhabditis elegans, a primitive roundworm made up of a few thousand cells, does something that looks an awful lot like it. Sleep is an ancient, universal experience.

But partly because it is so commonplace, for a long time sleep was a subject that scientists had not woken up to. It is only in the past half-century or so that it has attracted the attention of dedicated researchers. A new book from Kenneth Miller, a science journalist, sets out to chronicle the field’s short but fascinating history.

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Fresh Take: Halloween’s $3 Billion Candy Stash - Forbes

Am I the only one who keeps Pinterest-searching "spooky food?" I'm surprisingly impressed by so many recipes: pink brain topped cupcakes, meatloaf monsters, spaghetti as bloody intestines, mozzarella balls melted into skulls, mummified jalapeno pepper poppers, pot pies with gaping mouths carved out of dough. I loved the idea for berry-stuffed lychees, dropped into a glass of something red and transformed into eyeballs.

These homemade recipes are whimsical and fun. They don't take themselves too seriously, and that's probably what I respond to most. The world of food brands is tense right now, and many companies are struggling. Some startups are agreeing to bad deal terms as they search for funding, while many young companies are considering folding. These pressures come as grocers prioritize the big brands, which can afford the high fees required to maintain on store shelves. The dynamic impacts most food sold. That includes in the candy aisle, where shelves are now overflowing in anticipation of Halloween. Big candy companies are trick-or-treating, too: More than $3 billion worth of candy is purchased every year.

P.S. Colorado friends, kick off Mischief Night with me! My book tour is popping up at Boulder Book Store with a signing and discussion of Raw Deal on Monday, Oct. 30, starting at 6 p.m. Mountain Time. Register for free admission here.

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China’s banks may be loaded up with hidden bad loans - The Economist

When jinzhou bank, in north-eastern China, showed signs of distress at the start of the year, state media suggested that a billionaire named Li Hejun might be behind its problems. Mr Li, a solar-panel tycoon, was once China’s richest man. His firm was known to have tight links to the bank. And it was not long after word spread that he had been arrested that Jinzhou Bank suspended trading in its shares and told investors it would restructure its operations.

Oddly, the bank’s finances look to have been in good shape. Its overall bad-debt level was low in the first half of 2022, the last period for which detailed information is available. Although one concerning figure sticks out—more than 50% of its personal-business loans had become non-performing—this type of loan comprised just 1% of its total. Small- and micro-enterprise loans, which make up about half of the bank’s loan book, appeared normal, with only 3% having gone sour.

But is this the whole story? In theory, there is no meaningful distinction between personal-business loans and small- and micro-enterprise loans, says Jason Bedford, a veteran banking analyst. The two types are used in similar ways and should offer similar risk. In practice, though, there is a crucial difference: small- and micro-enterprise loans remain covered by a covid-era moratorium allowing banks to avoid recognising bad debts. Thus it is possible that a large portion of Jinzhou’s lending book is unrecognised bad debt. The bank has said almost nothing about its condition since earlier this year.

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Goldman Sachs exec: The No. 1 soft skill successful people use to get ahead at work—and how to develop it - CNBC

Shekhinah Bass cut her teeth â and built her career â at one of the most competitive, powerful firms on Wall Street: Goldman Sachs.

After 17 years at the firm, the mother of five is now Goldman Sachs' head of talent strategy within the firm's human capital management division.

The most important soft skill that distinguishes high performers at Goldman Sachs, and propels people to successful careers on Wall Street at large, she's discovered, isn't creative dealmaking or a confident attitude â it's having a growth mindset.

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