The world in a glance.

The counterintuitive economics of smoking

How cigarette manufacturers profit from quitters

Will America’s new sanctions on Russian oil force a peace deal?

Donald Trump raises the pressure—but he may have to go further

China is being fuelled by inspiration, not perspiration

So long as its leaders are not lying

Can AI make the poor world richer?

It promises a level playing field. So have past technologies

Trumponomics is warping the world’s copper markets

It may not end well

How to make immigration palatable in a populist age

Guest-worker schemes are booming. They offer vast benefits to both host countries and the workers themselves

Wanted: a new finance writer

An opportunity to join the staff of The Economist

Why are American women leaving the labour force?

Maybe they are becoming tradwives. Or maybe there is a more straightforward explanation

The world economy shrugs off both the trade war and AI fears

Can anything bring it down?

Indian microfinance is in trouble

A model that has lifted millions out of poverty is threatened by rising defaults

The new economics of babymaking

A postcard from one of America’s youngest towns

America’s bankers are riding high. Why are they so worried?

Their latest earnings do not represent unalloyed good news

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping: both weaker than they think

As America and China clash over trade, cracks emerge in each side’s position

Would inflation-linked bonds survive an inflationary default?

A thought experiment on the nearest thing to a safe asset

The Economist is hiring a Senior Producer

Our Money Talks podcast team is recruiting an experienced producer to help launch a video spin-off

Joel Mokyr deserves his Nobel prize

The Nobel committee is belatedly recognising economic history

Why the ultra-rich are giving up on luxury assets

Forget fine wine, great art and glitzy mansions. There are finer things in life

America and China return to fierce trade conflict

Donald Trump threatens an extra 100% levy as rare-earth minerals prompt a fresh spat

The stockmarket is fuelling America’s economy

What happens in the event of a slump?

Front-line economics: lessons from Russia’s neighbours

How to survive on the border of war

Narendra Modi’s paltry target for India’s growth

The prime minister wants a $10trn economy by 2047. He should be bolder

The most dangerous corner of a balance-sheet

Forget debt. Here is something to villainise

Why Donald Trump’s tariffs are failing to break global trade

Six months on from “Liberation Day”, things look surprisingly rosy

Welcome to Zero Migration America

Closed borders will make the country smaller, poorer and less innovative

Don’t tax wealth

Even the most sophisticated arguments in favour of doing so make no sense

Credit markets look increasingly dangerous

A pair of bankruptcies highlight the risks

How the Trump administration learned to love foreign aid

America’s international assistance has not been destroyed—it has been transformed

China’s stockmarket rally may hurt the economy

The “wealth effect” is not the only way it has an impact

The economics of self-driving taxis

Waymo is a case study in automation

The AI talent war is becoming fiercer

How other countries hope to challenge America

Investing like the ultra-rich is easier than ever

And that worries regulators

Will Dubai’s super-hot property market avoid a crash?

Despite fears of a reckoning, its fundamentals look solid

How to spot a genius

In an age of artificial intelligence, the human kind is increasingly important

Russia’s besieged economy is clinging on

The good times have firmly come to an end, but wage growth remains strong

Would an all-out trade war be better?

Donald Trump has so far avoided retaliation, which might carry a cost of its own

Why European workers need to switch jobs

The continent’s labour market is ill-suited to an age of disruption

China’s future rests on 200m precarious workers

They may work in factories or for delivery apps, but are united by common struggles

Ukraine faces a $19bn budget black hole

Without funding, the country will be left vulnerable

America’s economy defies gloomy expectations

As the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates, growth is holding up

Can you make it to the end of this column?

Understanding the new economics of attention

How grain has gone from famine to feast

Prices are close to a five-year low

Meet Donald Trump’s aid agency

Or is it a sovereign-wealth fund in disguise?

Why American bondholders are jumpy about inflation

The Federal Reserve prepares to cut interest rates in tricky circumstances

Europe’s economy at last shows signs of a recovery

Even if there is plenty that could yet kill it

Chinese trade is thriving despite America’s attacks

The rest of the world is willing to be “ripped off”

What if the AI stockmarket blows up?

We find that the potential cost has risen alarmingly high

What if artificial intelligence is just a “normal” technology?

Its rise might yet follow the path of previous technological revolutions

Bond vigilantes take aim at France

With any luck, the stand-off might focus politicians’ minds

The hard right’s plans for Europe’s economy

It has moderated, but offers little hope of growth-boosting reform

Why supply shocks are a trap for commodity investors

Lessons from lithium’s fake rally