In MACRO & COMMODITIES NEWS, Germany struggles, the oil price won't get a shale reprieve and olive oil stocks are running out. In M&A AND BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, TAP goes up for sale, Arcelik/Whirlpool faces scrutiny, dealmaking hits a decade low and UK business confidence takes a blow. In TECH NEWS, OpenAI, Jony Ive and SoftBank are cooking something up, Zuck gambles on AI, Apple's new phones get hot and Fortnite's maker cuts 16% of its workforce. In MISCELLANEOUS NEWS, Evergrande's shares are suspended, the average UK fixed rate mortgage dips below 6%, new housing starts boom, John Lewis does the sale/leaseback thang, Northvolt goes to Canada and Sunak keeps EV sales percentages in place. AND FINALLY, I bring you the impressive sport of pole vaulting...