Economy
Our coverage of global economics, from inflation-fighting central banks to apprehensive financial markets
The US economy
The US tax code will change next year; the presidential election will determine how
Donald Trump promises cuts galore, while Kamala Harris would target the middle-class
What America’s presidential election means for world trade
The first in a series of eight concise briefs on the consequences of the 2024 election
How America learned to love tariffs
Protectionism hasn’t been this respectable for decades
Why the Federal Reserve is split on the future of interest rates
Jerome Powell began with a big cut. What comes next?
A Wall Street state of mind has captured America
Downtown New York is quieter than ever. Finance has never been louder
What is the Fed’s preferred inflation measure?
The PCE gauge is broader and more dynamic than its better-known relative, the CPI
China’s economy
China’s property crisis claims more victims: companies
Unsold homes are contributing to a balance-sheet recession
Don’t celebrate China’s stimulus just yet
It will take more than a spectacular stockmarket rally to revive the economy
Xi Jinping’s belated stimulus has reset the mood in Chinese markets
But can the buying frenzy last?
China’s central bank tries to save the economy—and the stockmarket
But it will need more help from the government
Anger abounds as China raises its strikingly low retirement age
Old people will have to toil a little longer, assuming they can keep their jobs
China’s government is surprisingly redistributive
That is despite a stingy tax-and-transfer system
Russia’s economy
How Vladimir Putin hopes to transform Russian trade
He believes the country’s future lies with China and India. What could go wrong?
Vladimir Putin spends big—and sends Russia’s economy soaring
How long can the party last?
How Vladimir Putin created a housing bubble
Prices have risen by 172% in Russia’s biggest cities over the past three years
European banks are making heady profits in Russia
But for how much longer?
Russia’s gas business will never recover from the war in Ukraine
Hopes of a Chinese rescue look increasingly vain
Frozen Russian assets will soon pay for Ukraine’s war
And America now hopes to convince others to make better use of the stash
Asia’s economies
The front line of the tech war is in Asia
The two superpowers are vying for influence. China will not necessarily win
Is India’s economy slowing down?
New data highlight old problems
India’s consumers are changing how they buy
A giant population turns to deliveries
Can Japan’s zombie bond market be brought back to life?
Ueda Kazuo begins on a dangerous mission
Why Japanese stocks are on a rollercoaster ride
Volatility in global markets continues
India’s economic policy will not make it rich
A new World Bank report takes aim at emerging-market growth plans
Europe’s economies
How bond investors soured on France
They now regard the euro zone’s second-largest economy as riskier than Spain
France stares into a “colossal” budgetary abyss
A fragile new government must try to plug the hole. Fast
Europe’s green trade restrictions are infuriating poor countries
Only the poorest can expect help to cushion the blow
Turkey’s long hard struggle with inflation
High interest rates are starting to do the trick
Britain’s budget choices are not as bad as the government says
It has more room for manoeuvre than it lets on
Mario Draghi’s best ideas are those Europe finds least comfortable
The danger is that it picks the easy ones
Data
Three charts show that America’s imports are booming
Here’s why that could spell trouble
The Big Mac index: where to buy a cheap hamburger
Meat-eaters may want to avoid Argentina
The world’s richest countries in 2024
Our annual ranking compares economies in three different ways
The economics of American lotteries
Our analysis shows poorer citizens spend a staggering amount on tickets
Where are Europe’s most expensive cities for renters?
Our “Carrie Bradshaw index” moves across the pond
American consumers are finally cheering up
Much to the relief of Joe Biden
Latest coverage
Finance & economics
An economics Nobel for work on why nations succeed and fail
Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson tackled the most important question of all
Finance & economics
Why investors should still avoid Chinese stocks
The debate about “uninvestibility” obscures something important
Finance & economics
Europe’s green trade restrictions are infuriating poor countries
Only the poorest can expect help to cushion the blow
Finance & economics
Why have markets grown more captivated by data releases?
Especially when the quality of statistics is deteriorating
Finance & economics
Can the world’s most influential business index be fixed?
Two cheers for the World Bank’s new global business survey
Europe
France stares into a “colossal” budgetary abyss
A fragile new government must try to plug the hole. Fast
United States
What America’s presidential election means for world trade
The first in a series of eight concise briefs on the consequences of the 2024 election
Finance & economics
How bond investors soured on France
They now regard the euro zone’s second-largest economy as riskier than Spain
Britain
Gigafactories and dashed dreams: the parable of Blyth
What one port town says about the British economy
Culture
The best new books to read about finance
The joys that can come from good writing about the dismal science
Briefing
The bloodshed in the Middle East is fast expanding
Israel seems certain to retaliate to Iran’s missile attack
Finance & economics
Can Andrea Orcel, Europe’s star banker, create a super-bank?
An interview with the boss of UniCredit