The world in a glance.

The Iran energy shock reverberates across financial markets

For investors, the war is like the invasion of Ukraine all over again

The Iran war puts Asia in an energy panic

Stranded Gulf supplies are choking off the region’s economies

Would America be in recession without the super-rich?

American anxieties are K-shaped. The economy is more like a slash-mark

Why war isn’t always good for defence stocks

They win only if governments want just enough weapons—but not too many

Protectionists dislike trade and migration. And capital flows?

The amount of money crossing borders has flattened off—but not because of capital controls

Why Chinese people spend so much on food

A 21st-century test of a 19th-century observation

A viral research note on AI gets its economics wrong

Too much of a good thing

Markets are churning furiously beneath the surface

AI is prompting investors to reassess every business model under the sun

Donald Trump answers a Supreme Court rebuke with new tariff threats

The immediate economic impact will be more uncertainty

Did America’s war on poverty fail?

Deprivation has fallen dramatically—but not necessarily because of the welfare state

Ethnic minorities are driving America’s startup boom

The covid-19 pandemic set entrepreneurial spirits surging—for some

How to put a price on a human life

As ghoulish as it sounds, it is far better than the alternative

What drives the wage gap between men and women?

Surprise: it’s still motherhood

Untangling the ideas of Donald Trump’s Fed nominee

What is Warshonomics?

America and India strike a long-awaited trade truce

Will it last?

AI is not the only threat menacing big tech

Are Meta and Google ads really recession-proof?

Has America hit “peak tariff”?

Uncle Sam’s take may go downhill from here

What will Kevin Warsh’s Federal Reserve look like?

Donald Trump’s nominee was an inflation hawk—until he wasn’t

Our Big Mac index carries an Asian warning

It isn’t just Japan: other currencies also look cheap

Why AI won’t wipe out white-collar jobs

The technology will expand their scope and raise their value

An audacious new book about a “precocious” country

There is no such thing as “the” Indian growth model

American decay versus American dynamism

Only a decline in corporate America’s vigour will dent the country’s dominance of financial markets

Donald Trump’s Greenland tariffs are no great blow to Europe

An escalating trade war would be another matter, however

It’s not just the Fed. Politics looms over central banks everywhere

But can the public stomach higher inflation?

Pessimism is the world’s main economic problem

Gloomy expectations are starting to matter more than the data

Vietnam’s growth is fast—but fragile

The economy is unduly reliant on a handful of conglomerates

Venezuela’s astoundingly messy debts are about to get messier

Oil majors, hedge funds, Chinese lenders—all have a stake

China’s property woes could last until 2030

Despite the best efforts of its social-media censors

Investors head into 2026 remarkably optimistic

Few expect a crash in the year to come

The five biggest market developments of 2025

Looking back on a rollercoaster year for investors

Watch who you’re calling childless

Women in America are having as many babies over their lifetimes as they did two decades ago

Where America’s most prominent short-sellers are placing their bets

We interview three financial sleuths

Germany has a lawyer problem

Its endless bureaucratic rules trap would-be reformers

What a stiff drink says about China’s economy

The baijiu business is the latest to be struck by “involution”

America’s bond market is quiet—almost too quiet

Scott Bessent has a cunning plan

Which economy did best in 2025?

Our annual ranking returns

American sanctions are putting Russia under pressure

In time, though, its tankers will find new routes

AI misinformation may have paradoxical consequences

To understand why, consider the side-blotched lizard

China’s property market is (somehow) worsening

Government remedies are not up to the job

Investors expect AI use to soar. That’s not happening

Recent surveys point to flatlining business adoption

Visa restrictions are bad for Indians—but maybe not for India

Remittances may fall, but opportunities are opening up

Old folk are seized by stockmarket mania

Investing in equities may make sense for individuals—but it could also exacerbate a crash

What explains India’s peculiar stability?

In a tricky neighbourhood the country remains calm

Investors are telling Britain to cheer up a bit

The country’s economic problems are real, but its assets are doing surprisingly well

How Donald Trump can dodge a Supreme Court tariff block

No matter its ruling, the president has back-up powers

Why Wall Street won’t see the next crash coming

Even the best traders struggle to predict sudden jumps in volatility

The new globalisation paradox

In the age of Donald Trump, national autonomy requires deeper integration. Brazil shows why

Investors will help Jamaica recover from Hurricane Melissa

The country is in line for a pay-out from catastrophe bonds

A letter to investors from the White House Opportunities Fund

How the shift to state capitalism is panning out for America LLC

The end of the rip-off economy

From finance and medicine to used cars, artificial intelligence is radically improving market efficiency