Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day

Omicron messages are all mixed up. Jack Dorsey quits as Twitter CEO (again). Goldman unveils a raft of anti-burnout perks. Here’s what you need to know today.

Omicron’s got everyone in a spin, but still no one can tell us just how bad the new variant could prove to be. Its arrival may have lifted healthcare stocks and hobbled shares of travel companies, but as the dust settles market analysts are sounding a note of cautious optimism — here’s what they have to say. Meanwhile, Fed chair Jerome Powell is erring on the side of caution, with a warning that the variant does add to economic risks, while the World Health Organization is calling on member states to start testing widely for the new variant, saying it could fuel future surges with severe consequences. However, the South African doctor who first alerted authorities to the new strain said its symptoms were different to those of delta and that she thinks it will be a mild disease. Until we know more, Joe Biden’s message may be the one to heed. He described omicron as “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic.”