Finance & economics | Free exchange

Why sub-zero interest rates are neither unfair nor unnatural

When borrowers are scarce, it helps if money (like potatoes) rots

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Negative justice”

Doctor You: How data will transform health care

From the February 3rd 2018 edition

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Dark rain clouds move over the port of Hamburg, Germany

Germany’s economy goes from bad to worse

Things may look brighter next year, but the relief will be short-lived

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


Why investors should still avoid Chinese stocks

The debate about “uninvestibility” obscures something important


China’s property crisis claims more victims: companies

Unsold homes are contributing to a balance-sheet recession

Europe’s green trade restrictions are infuriating poor countries

Only the poorest can expect help to cushion the blow

How America learned to love tariffs

Protectionism hasn’t been this respectable for decades