Good morning, friends and Fortune readers.
On the last day before many of you start heading out for Thanksgiving vacations, much of the news is focused on the events in Ferguson, Mo. That doesn’t mean things aren’t still happening in the world of business, though. Computer hardware maker Hewlett-Packard is slated to report earnings after the close of trading, and this morning we saw the latest reading on third-quarter GDP. Here’s what else you need to know about.
1. Pope Francis talks about jobs
The Pope addressed the European Parliament today in Strasbourg, France, and he talked about jobs and workers’ rights as important for the future of the continent — a region he described as “somewhat elderly and haggard,” according to the BBC.
2. An upbeat GDP revision
A revision of third-quarter GDP came out this morning, and it was rosy. Economic growth was expected to come in slightly lower than the initial estimate of 3.5%, but in fact it was stronger, with the government reporting the U.S. economy grew at a 3.9% pace in the third quarter. The upbeat number could help the market set new records.
3. The World Cup loses a sponsor
With all the controversy around the selection of Qatar as the host country for the 2022 World Cup, one thing has been pretty clear: as long as FIFA was making money, none of it was going to matter. The bottom line could finally be impacted, though, as Sony has pulled out of its role as a World Cup sponsor, citing a lack of transparency. Somewhere, Sepp Blatter is shuddering.
4. Twitter’s CFO makes a big mistake
We’ve all been there — sending out a private message to a public forum. Usually, though, we don’t help run that forum. Twitter (TWTR) CFO Anthony Noto appears to have made that mistake last night, sending out a tweet seemingly meant to be private, intimating Twitter was meeting with acquisition targets on Dec. 15 and 16.
5. Meg Whitman enters the spotlight
Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) will announce its third-quarter earnings later today, the first time the company has reported its results since the technology company announced it will be splitting into two separate companies. Investors will likely want an update on the company’s progress on that split today.
