Stocks are increasingly an important source of household wealth. Thanks to the booming stock market, U.S. household wealth surged to a record high last year, per Federal Reserve data. But there are continued racial differences in stock ownership, which has big implications for the racial wealth gap. We’ll learn more. Also on the show: producer prices remain tame, and business travel spending rebounds.

“We’ve just softened the boundaries a little bit and allowed politics to creep into the workplace,” says Sean Westwood, director of the Polarization Research Lab at Dartmouth. As part of our Office Politics series in the lead-up to the election, we’re focusing on how companies intensify or ease political divides. Today: the argument for just not talking about politics or other divisive matters at work. But first, Trump and Harris turn their attention to automakers.

From the BBC World Service: Chinese police have detained four workers of the Taiwanese iPhone maker Foxconn in circumstances Taipei has described as “strange.” The employees were arrested in Zhengzhou on “breach of trust” charges. We’ll unpack. Then, Portugal wants to bring in a new law to give a decade of tax breaks to people up to the age of 35. And “ghost” distilleries are being resurrected as demand for rare whiskey soars,

The value of gold is up 28% since the beginning of the year. And while some see the precious metal as shiny and pretty, central banks around the globe view it differently — as a safe asset during a time of geopolitical tensions. Also on the program: We’ll discuss how markets are responding to this morning’s inflation data, and we’ll hear about a lawsuit against some top universities for alleged financial aid price-fixing.

Later this morning, we’ll get the consumer price index for September. While inflation is way down from its peak in June 2022, consumers are frustrated with persistently high prices. We’ll hear more. Plus, how does a Nobel win in literature influence book sales? We’ll hear from the publishers of last year’s Nobel laureate, Norwegian playwright and author Jon Fosse, about how they dealt with a surge in demand.

From the BBC World Service: Ratan Tata was one of India’s most internationally recognized industrialists. The tycoon oversaw a 50-fold rise in profits in his two decades as chairman of Tata Group and acquired brands like carmaker Jaguar Land Rover. He died at age 86. Also: How is Swedish furniture giant Ikea going to hit its eco targets? Plus, the drugmaker behind Zantac agrees to a huge payout.

Medicare does not pay for general, long-term care. Now, Kamala Harris, the Democrat’s candidate for president, wants to expand Medicare to pay for long-term care for older people in their home. That would need an amenable new Congress, but many families are presently left trying to piece together care for older relatives. Also on today’s show: potential structure changes to Google and the rising value of the U.S. dollar.

In a time of fraught political polarization, it’s hard for companies to decide whether to take political stands or remain quietly on the sidelines. Today, as a continuation of our Office Politics series, we’ll hear why some places that once mixed business and politics may be keeping a lower profile now. Then, nearly a month into a strike, negotiations between aerospace giant Boeing and its union members have broken off. We hear why.

From the BBC World Service: The U.S. Department of Justice is taking aim at Google, saying the tech giant might need to be broken up because it’s too dominant in the market. This comes after a major ruling in August where a judge found Google has been running an illegal monopoly when it comes to online searches. Plus, an agency enabling the international mail system celebrates its 150th birthday.

The video game industry is bigger than movies and music combined. As part of our ongoing Skin in the Game series, we’re chatting with journalist Jason Schreier about the rise and fall of Blizzard, the company behind such games as World of Warcraft. It’s a story about the push and pull between creativity and business know-how. Also on the show: Small business uncertainty reaches an all-time high.

As Hurricane Milton barrels toward the Tampa Bay region, home to some 3 million people, residents there are still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Helene caused billions of dollars in damage. Yet nearly every homeowner who may be affected lacks adequate flood insurance. Plus, our TVs may also be watching us. And we’re coming up on one year since Microsoft finalized the largest video game deal ever: $68 billion for Activision Blizzard.