Senators pass shutdown-ending bill, lifting US and European markets

After US senators managed to pass a bill that could end what has been the longest government shutdown in US history, equity markets have reacted with strong gains on Wall Street and beyond. Nonetheless, the interruption in government work will take its toll on the US economy, as predicted by the Congressional Budget Office. Also in this edition: we head to China, where the Singles’ Day shopping holiday now spans five entire weeks in a contest of slow consumer demand.