https://www.economist.com/free-exchange Our economics correspondents consider the fluctuations in the world economy, in theory and practice Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:57:09 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2018/08/30/religious-competition-was-to-blame-for-europes-witch-hunts Many children are still persecuted as alleged witches in Africa for similar reasons /content/mgvk2nk0lq8fpg0p2gvo3ahrhk6ledh5 Thu, 30 Aug 2018 13:40:20 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2018/07/27/has-brics-lived-up-to-expectations The bloc of big emerging economies is surprisingly good at keeping its promises /content/qqbt1f5ivc03gs5mjdklqa6d6spmrlv4 Fri, 27 Jul 2018 15:30:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2018/02/06/how-to-interpret-a-market-plunge Whether a sudden sharp decline in asset prices amounts to a meaningless blip or something more depends on mass psychology /content/uefj0ue96jvjsf8e7muhkli1pk28q6b0 Tue, 06 Feb 2018 00:50:57 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/12/01/republicans-grouse-about-tax-models-they-once-supported When the experts say tax reform will not pay for itself, the party ignores the experts /content/79ko9neb6l8q5hb9scr08bm2v6tofaiu Fri, 01 Dec 2017 17:10:01 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/11/29/why-scan-reading-artificial-intelligence-is-bad-news-for-radiologists Good news for patients is bad news for medical professionals /content/t0iivr8p0olhm9ahf6l1gk0mqkktfg4q Wed, 29 Nov 2017 18:47:21 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/10/11/richard-thalers-work-demonstrates-why-economics-is-hard It is difficult to model the behaviour of creatures as irrepressibly social as humans /content/9t3ghgigqvaudb6ktp0dsmhrl3dc70pi Wed, 11 Oct 2017 04:37:13 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/10/09/the-nobel-in-economics-rewards-a-pioneer-of-nudges Richard Thaler becomes one of very few behavioural economists to receive the discipline’s highest honour /content/egsnlatj0dpjejclj43mpcscuo8a6idi Mon, 09 Oct 2017 13:21:57 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/09/22/bitcoin-is-fiat-money-too What Charles Kindleberger has to say about cryptocurrencies /content/q8o9u586b6edr27kdrq35mfgg3c0gg5e Fri, 22 Sep 2017 10:06:22 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/09/20/the-case-against-shrinking-the-feds-balance-sheet The Fed has announced it will shed assets, but not how many /content/h6kijpo9g404g4hnuk888k2t731kl803 Wed, 20 Sep 2017 21:53:16 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/09/01/is-there-a-wage-growth-puzzle-in-america Weak wage growth suggests the economy is not at full employment /content/1ql53nrsnir7un6dhio3j975s3d0o7r0 Fri, 01 Sep 2017 14:16:14 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/08/04/the-hubris-of-ten-year-budgets No policymaker can accurately predict the future /content/a1a6tp5b7ip423ffoepfedml2m93fj4j Fri, 04 Aug 2017 20:03:49 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/07/19/podcast-goodbye-benito /content/nh9km7p8elp0dkrva8slt7rcfhgf4ir1 Wed, 19 Jul 2017 13:08:44 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/07/05/podcast-vorsprung-durch-angst /content/lcsmchoamqe9hhml5auvllh9tfpmdlr2 Wed, 05 Jul 2017 10:22:35 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/28/podcast-the-italian-bailout-job /content/1balt3eqbb4i85tk5oc59c1k0ielnfrh Wed, 28 Jun 2017 11:25:26 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/14/podcast-a-poison-chalice-for-ges-new-boss /content/sqg1nlsukclvhr10d5kk64t9c6uvm5kn Wed, 14 Jun 2017 13:09:18 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/12/a-new-paper-rekindles-a-tiresome-debate-on-immigration-and-wages But commentators on both sides seem to miss the point /content/27eboio40g4t6jfekoarpbnrv193a12c Mon, 12 Jun 2017 15:32:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/07/podcast-super-mario-to-the-rescue /content/rr0354a5ajqv28tmmvkj3m7nnpmvno4r Wed, 07 Jun 2017 16:25:33 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/06/why-the-fed-is-likely-to-raise-rates-despite-low-inflation Like a parent teaching a child it means business, the Fed may feel it must hike to preserve its credibility with financial markets /content/3cjr67ch8baa0frae4a8n0th4qm49qbp Tue, 06 Jun 2017 20:50:54 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/02/europe-inches-closer-to-a-plan-for-fixing-its-financial-flaws A new European Commission proposal moves in a mostly useful direction /content/hr85orfcljjeb4qa45enejfjgipaa8kd Fri, 02 Jun 2017 13:43:42 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/05/24/donald-trumps-budget-ignores-what-is-ailing-american-workers Cuts to social programmes are unlikely to improve the health or employment prospects for struggling Americans /content/tmfsd9pt1dmgtlvq92ffvedft2i1j25k Wed, 24 May 2017 14:47:17 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/05/10/podcast-trumponomics /content/tpc781unn5t3mt8oj65sknss9tjpppva Wed, 10 May 2017 10:31:01 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/05/09/europe-needs-true-fiscal-integration-not-its-own-imf A new proposal for a European Monetary Fund is nonetheless starting a badly-needed discussion /content/chnpvnvd874824pu9ucbljbe63udr8cn Tue, 09 May 2017 14:05:51 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/05/09/podcast-another-pay-rise /content/r2glo9pl6s3pell03002kjggtd5od3bq Tue, 09 May 2017 10:20:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/28/americas-economic-growth-slows-to-07 Consumer spending is slowing, but investment is picking up /content/h3j2g4un9c2e0dbkoosql2md4h3qi710 Fri, 28 Apr 2017 17:36:30 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/25/reducing-rates-for-pass-through-businesses-will-be-tough-to-justify A trial balloon suggests that White House economists are not serious about either growth or deficits /content/hpg345jkf1lbfb68867rh00of282n0v2 Tue, 25 Apr 2017 14:14:15 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/18/podcast-a-sweet-story /content/rh55li5a2859f17gl3h6c5hcgs0p1rq5 Tue, 18 Apr 2017 15:51:32 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/18/america-has-a-retirement-problem-not-a-saving-problem Policymakers need to learn the difference /content/83oehneo0f6psfo6ap6ffgm8ae4qb384 Tue, 18 Apr 2017 11:37:33 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/11/podcast-the-remarkable-calmness-of-gold /content/crfvjk8mnv18ci9e8pm2i4qc8gs9aiq6 Tue, 11 Apr 2017 15:08:56 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/05/podcast-the-robot-era-is-dawning /content/ija2v61ntj11soqd98l562selk5oo9r2 Wed, 05 Apr 2017 10:02:17 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/03/should-america-break-up-washington Probably not /content/3e77thdmt5i5gseva5ic01nkvhv5pi5m Mon, 03 Apr 2017 15:31:21 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/30/democrats-should-be-more-comfortable-discussing-economic-growth They have ideas for boosting output, even if they prefer to talk redistribution /content/sk3s38i3pfve2r2ev8b0b95uqbc3us21 Thu, 30 Mar 2017 18:45:43 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/29/podcast-luxury-for-the-masses /content/8ql0t6htrj0ofhbrigjsq9k6ckigcnsj Wed, 29 Mar 2017 14:11:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/22/podcast-a-most-unusual-company /content/jv1p6lsh72vi9qnmnv2l4un6ii72hean Wed, 22 Mar 2017 11:04:06 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/14/podcast-microsofter /content/fss71l643581led4i48bfdkjopavilev Tue, 14 Mar 2017 16:35:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/09/admit-it-republicans-proposed-obamacare-overhaul-offers-relief-for-some-middle-earners Don’t forget that health reform has cost some Americans dearly /content/89ld57t2o9natvircq8tj1cgfmrjh15q Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:28:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/08/gm-says-au-revoir-to-europe /content/gsskkb0m6cd1m0ilu32d7kna4agvlnm6 Wed, 08 Mar 2017 14:29:53 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/01/podcast-money-talks /content/3alq49ia0bsok1q56gboperg0kkmmo51 Wed, 01 Mar 2017 16:34:19 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/02/22/clean-energys-dirty-secret /content/ravt7qipmfdlo2i217e9h8j3hatb7vie Wed, 22 Feb 2017 12:10:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/02/14/banks-on-the-move Are thousands of banking jobs set to migrate from Britain into the eurozone? Patrick Lane discusses potential destinations with host Simon Long. Also: a currency catastrophe in Zimbabwe and the decline of the executive jet /content/r16bp5h0jgu7dfefm84v4jagnlqfns0g Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:46:04 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/02/09/should-america-want-a-strong-dollar-its-complicated The why of it matters /content/j2voerbv86lvljvhnlavpn851fd1f195 Thu, 09 Feb 2017 17:29:31 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/02/08/how-to-make-money-from-digital-entertainment /content/rsjg9567kro7l6uc973a09ooafv2rik4 Wed, 08 Feb 2017 14:18:43 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/31/a-new-boss-at-the-helm-of-exxon-mobil /content/47bvvlm5ari922lt85pg7ak7aun0u5cd Tue, 31 Jan 2017 16:15:59 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/24/an-experts-guide-to-trumponomics /content/39f10ms8o4p30m4047d58vhso6gndm7h Tue, 24 Jan 2017 17:06:31 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/23/davos-in-the-spotlight /content/9e7ftv43sl2f9bu4ssbvmiub94dm44cd Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:58:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/19/a-flood-of-false-headlines-probably-did-not-swing-americas-election New research dives into murky waters /content/etqcbb282gvvoeuistg5s6k2e420ojkr Thu, 19 Jan 2017 11:57:19 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/10/turbulence-ahead In recent years airlines have gone on an unprecedented shopping spree - but is their luck now running out? We examine how business in Mexico might respond to the looming presidency of Donald Trump. And can the way we buy pet insurance help the US sort out its mushrooming finances when it comes to human health care? /content/gqr0ovfnqrcdpvd32uefclcn9jitc79n Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:41:12 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/06/wage-growth-surges-just-in-time-for-the-trump-presidency The average pay-cheque is now growing faster than at any time since 2009 /content/j2jt9rqegm0d6u0gm9us00e94hv9d3a0 Fri, 06 Jan 2017 17:05:10 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/27/we-wish-you-a-merry-reorganisation /content/jafbpt6b06r1luc944k83kk7pp6ugbo7 Tue, 27 Dec 2016 15:25:09 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/20/the-most-profitable-time-of-the-year /content/vd1qfccn2oe3igkrv2ee3vdt4403055p Tue, 20 Dec 2016 19:52:43 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/16/keep-the-costs-of-trade-in-perspective Trade is not the enemy; disregard for the welfare of the non-rich is /content/d2kvqsl6nro35el0gqackt7l694lgs4b Fri, 16 Dec 2016 17:43:35 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/14/the-federal-reserve-at-last-manages-to-lift-rates-in-2016 But the outlook for 2017 is shrouded in uncertainty /content/n2dn3229f8b8i83cgslvjrn6nook6khh Wed, 14 Dec 2016 20:59:36 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/13/breitbart-and-the-business-of-nationalism The conservative website Breitbart News is expanding its business into France and Germany after a boost from the American election. Our correspondent Elizabeth Winkler considers its chances of success abroad. Also on the show: Globalisation may be in reverse in the financial world. And, fifty-years old and under pressure from China, the Asian Development Bank is evolving. Simon Long hosts. /content/bk444ur0dpo9lo4ns5e6k3rnv20fs11n Tue, 13 Dec 2016 16:49:05 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/09/lessons-from-a-fight-between-economists-and-historians What the dismal science gets right, and what it misses, about American slavery /content/7paohg5r5macbqkqgl98g66b9jn50543 Fri, 09 Dec 2016 18:12:42 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/09/why-donald-trump-cant-create-25m-jobs An ageing population means there aren't enough workers /content/rvll4pgldllsdfikk4h19uoue14660pm Fri, 09 Dec 2016 17:33:40 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/08/europes-central-bank-extends-its-quantitative-easing-programme The size of the programme will be trimmed—unless things get choppy /content/j4to64me8k5260nc22sv1umsph8lu6c5 Thu, 08 Dec 2016 14:34:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/07/economists-cannot-stop-trump-but-perhaps-they-can-understand-him Rather than giving political advice, economists should rethink their models /content/p4fbpic5cppo91lufrek6714tf1tadjg Wed, 07 Dec 2016 16:53:09 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/06/how-the-weakest-bank-in-europe-just-got-weaker /content/e18is7ciled1rpne3pkqucqf0quhovln Tue, 06 Dec 2016 15:59:58 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/03/if-matteo-renzis-proposals-lose-insufficient-economic-reform-could-be-to-blame His labour-market rules helped too few people, too slowly /content/36kkfo3kqfoav1l4hspdoq96uv5boc1h Sat, 03 Dec 2016 10:24:12 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/01/regional-inequality-is-a-hard-problem-to-solve But economists need to try harder to find solutions /content/95n05ob4sns165hu04585o0re2qqgqja Thu, 01 Dec 2016 11:39:08 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/30/is-the-anger-over-trade-justified Soumaya Keynes speaks to leading economist Richard Baldwin about how to mitigate globalisation's destructive effects. Also on the show: South Africa’s debt rating is just one notch above junk. How might the country bounce back? And why golf is no longer cool in Japan. Simon Long hosts. /content/tna19mdb882lkruorlhoi56cedr1us6l Wed, 30 Nov 2016 10:42:26 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/23/the-fate-of-trump-inc Our New York bureau chief Patrick Foulis argues Donald Trump should relinquish any control over his businesses before moving into the White House. Also on the show: There’s a new set of reforms worrying Europe’s beleaguered banks and why economists are not immune to fads. Simon Long hosts. /content/0sv562cu73buls5e9l13kv4c362gveo4 Wed, 23 Nov 2016 11:57:49 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/22/the-hole-at-the-heart-of-economics The dismal science must come to grips with how little it understands society /content/mbb3ioqdf6aaril6pa0hb1uq1u7cmsl0 Tue, 22 Nov 2016 15:28:42 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/16/facebook-and-the-trouble-in-being-everything-to-everyone The world’s biggest social network is finding the media business a tricky one to negotiate /content/1m13qp4k8f6t378r2igum81v7pg9h97k Wed, 16 Nov 2016 18:59:40 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/15/trump-bumps-and-slumps Philip Coggan recaps a week of market reactions to Donald Trump's surprise victory. Simon Rabinovitch discusses how China might use the defeat of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in America to assert its trade leadership. And Stanley Pignal assesses the fallout from India's shock announcement that it is scrapping the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. /content/9hfes6kdfp4letuvqjbet14i8m8d9aqv Tue, 15 Nov 2016 16:08:34 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/14/how-worrying-is-the-global-market-reaction-to-the-american-election If sustained, there could be trouble ahead /content/rso4t2m1j1cj6ma3lttitirs2b2ijd2a Mon, 14 Nov 2016 17:38:56 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/10/trump-and-the-political-economy-of-liquidity-traps The end of great stagnations /content/r4o5dafh9j52o11ehpfn4f2pckforatn Thu, 10 Nov 2016 17:41:54 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/09/the-economic-consequences-of-donald-trump What to expect in the months and years ahead /content/hgpju7km616c3p2k35m9cqcatjh84cf5 Wed, 09 Nov 2016 13:39:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/08/basket-case-bounce One casualty of campaign hyperbole in America has been the reputation of the economy. But Henry Curr challenges the view that it is down in the dumps. John O’Sullivan argues some of the world’s worst-performing economies can still turn themselves around. And finally, why the constitutional referendum in Italy matters so much to business in the country. /content/35i9o3mdmt3hbngsbka152sl1ej1aoj5 Tue, 08 Nov 2016 19:05:32 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/07/how-strong-are-the-institutions-of-liberal-societies Understanding the present crisis of political legitimacy /content/k19edmul67ajf48ev30tuhvikadcnajd Mon, 07 Nov 2016 14:29:18 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/01/the-homeless-elite Adrian Wooldridge talks about the political isolation of America’s business class. Ryan Avent assesses the future of the gig economy after a court rules against Uber in Britain. And finally: buy a pair of TOMS Shoes and the company will donate a pair to a child in need. But does it actually do good? Soumaya Keynes reports on the economics of this one-to-one scheme. /content/tfugtphioa87htj7p48sgdfgef7a0ns1 Tue, 01 Nov 2016 18:26:48 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/01/there-are-better-and-worse-arguments-for-keeping-interest-rates-low /content/ssp48fbrk6tc7s37bgprivdfv2egn2eu Tue, 01 Nov 2016 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/31/is-mark-carney-indispensable On the central banker as a unique talent /content/e9u8fv4c45h6rlh62f5sg0o37nnurvds Mon, 31 Oct 2016 14:58:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/31/wall-street-v-main-street In the first of our Economist Radio specials from Washington, Money Talks examines the Wall Street versus Main Street argument playing out in the election. Our Buttonwood columnist dissects how markets might respond to a Trump win. And award-winning MIT economist, David Autor, dissects the negative consequences of free trade. /content/svlqs7vgqq1eqsf3ae8tpfehjfi04mtr Mon, 31 Oct 2016 12:10:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/27/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-fear-of-inflation Will central banks overreact to an overdue pick-up in inflation? Probably. /content/ti2uc60gobsktmdm7jd8e011e5h8gcdr Thu, 27 Oct 2016 21:08:44 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/26/global-imbalances-a-pre-crisis-scourge-are-back East Asia and Europe are running massive surpluses with the rest of the world /content/fhlnr43j4l7676ri9mm3vsbuel89pmjk Wed, 26 Oct 2016 18:03:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/26/wall-street-v-main-street In the first of our Economist Radio specials from Washington, Money Talks examines the Wall Street versus Main Street argument playing out in the election. Our Buttonwood columnist dissects how markets might respond to a Trump win. And award-winning MIT economist, David Autor, dissects the negative consequences of free trade /content/o2cqjuogdjp5m7337f072uq3gc2hc67e Wed, 26 Oct 2016 11:48:04 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/24/how-much-do-china-japan-and-america-trade-with-the-eu It turns out that a free-trade deal is good for trade /content/125ina4hmieqjm01fg5bv9abdbr8iuh5 Mon, 24 Oct 2016 09:10:32 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/23/making-sense-of-the-wallonian-veto Sometimes trade agreements undermine democracy, and sometimes democracy undermines trade agreements /content/1nloqelpb29sla4rpuvpe7nmuhhts24u Sun, 23 Oct 2016 21:52:19 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/20/a-simple-surprisingly-good-election-forecasting-method For voters, it's all about time and money /content/56jeme656gkd5f3u12crrk2lcdnb7fu0 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 18:24:17 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/20/money-has-fled-ukraine-for-decades Capital flight is a scourge in Ukraine /content/96m9jbhhnrarf3j8p4rnftg1gos592sf Thu, 20 Oct 2016 14:32:04 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/19/the-man-who-knew-better Alan Greenspan did not try to pop the housing bubble, and thank goodness /content/pjsjuro1d8s79tj2ue086l0i1q714lvk Wed, 19 Oct 2016 14:56:49 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/19/chinas-uncannily-stable-growth-versus-the-price-of-reform Why short-term pain need not be unbearably painful /content/cvpnuphh8ucultkplat6br4o68d0asjd Wed, 19 Oct 2016 07:17:58 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/18/countdown-for-tesla /content/6edjmso3iij4rcps10c0pmd84k5i58cl Tue, 18 Oct 2016 17:16:49 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/17/the-pound-is-one-of-the-worlds-worst-performing-currencies-in-the-past-year /content/5ca6vg9d5ffhk9utudm2pd16224aj0bv Mon, 17 Oct 2016 18:36:37 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/17/what-walmarts-pay-rise-experiment-says-about-the-future-of-low-wage-work There will be fewer low-wage jobs, for better and (sometimes) for worse /content/m5o7qafdj9v30gte8f0si7hm3rnuce2b Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:29:12 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/13/will-the-fed-greet-the-next-president-with-a-recession If the ageing American expansion expires, premature rate hikes will probably be to blame /content/untp90826asn3sotflloph03ajp8jja5 Thu, 13 Oct 2016 19:02:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/12/there-is-more-than-one-kind-of-economic-mess-to-be-in Brazil is reminding us what problems economists used to fret about /content/3ik7tdudclqunj28l9osfq7vbaq53gkv Wed, 12 Oct 2016 20:11:31 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/11/flash-crash-bang-wallop Philip Coggan joins host Simon Long to explain what's next for the pound in the light of the latest flash crash in its value. Also: Ryan Avent delves into the work that won the latest Economics Nobel prize /content/370ho3896k4d688rltme15s7kcvvuis5 Tue, 11 Oct 2016 14:24:28 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/11/brexit-is-making-britons-poorer-and-meaner Economic adjustments are just one part of the story /content/kpsidugl2jruifakqnoo6d96mbfu5hvg Tue, 11 Oct 2016 13:29:16 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/10/oliver-hart-and-bengt-holmstrom-win-the-nobel-prize-for-economic-sciences The pair helped the field understand how contracts work /content/ls0b6nr18q3231qc3vekmcasl1if6qnr Mon, 10 Oct 2016 13:30:01 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/04/deutsches-dilemma Patrick Lane our banking editor discusses how a hefty fine from the Department of Justice is one of many problems facing Deutsche Bank. Joel Budd says microfinance is making a comeback. And finally, Adam Roberts talks about how Norway's sovereign wealth fund sets an example for the world. Simon Long hosts. /content/m10logvhpasrdlp6mmjgosqmlaipb1od Tue, 04 Oct 2016 16:14:04 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/09/28/navel-gazing-nations Our economics editor John O'Sullivan reflects on the future of globalisation in a world increasingly hostile to free trade. Soumaya Keynes discusses the merits of cash transfers over food aid for Syrian refugees. And our South-East Asia bureau chief unpacks the business of mixed martial arts. Simon Long hosts. /content/rhu6ophbs7vadtcvcmjb5bri2vhsrfgs Wed, 28 Sep 2016 10:38:06 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/09/28/nuclear-power-play Simon Long hosts as Money talks investigates why UK Prime Minister Theresa May has reversed course on a new nuclear power plant. Also: the great pensions reckoning facing economies worldwide and how a tech paper tiger is breaking new ground for innovators in Berlin /content/2ihur3lojkjf1vv6g065l6vg6vdfk3qs Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:23:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/09/13/fear-the-corporation /content/1a1o38h0f7bdmejmiusqfsg0hcqv0fur Tue, 13 Sep 2016 18:07:23 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/09/06/ubers-mega-ambitions /content/925e0unhd8s4uhk5gensf0qfu0cccbuk Tue, 06 Sep 2016 17:22:31 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/30/irelands-forbidden-fruit /content/fufpp4jgcqm50kp13qlsdrk009r7rc46 Tue, 30 Aug 2016 16:02:25 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/29/the-fed-has-yet-to-take-monetary-reform-seriously But economic conditions will eventually force its hand /content/2so4tn96v1sm4o8fgjdirobprunu9vq4 Mon, 29 Aug 2016 17:56:02 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/26/how-to-get-poor-countries-out-of-low-trust-ruts Cooperation is mostly about coordination /content/bhcflbjhk45rogmbnosdsm9kocelkok8 Fri, 26 Aug 2016 00:17:09 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/23/treks-and-hikes /content/bua9ilj2nes462rb96mf86gch1oo7pj8 Tue, 23 Aug 2016 17:40:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/19/the-bitter-political-fight-to-create-a-new-macroeconomics That's ok. Politics is how we learn more about the workings of the economy /content/f52nfjjrhrclrlru8clbtj3dm2okuqdk Fri, 19 Aug 2016 16:52:23 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/18/improve-your-life-by-making-huge-decisions-with-a-coin-toss New research on status quo bias provokes both thoughts and doubts /content/prsn1vf8gm0a2sluql5b1f5qmqiriis5 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 11:22:14 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/17/have-we-reached-peak-tv /content/00glfdtbo8gkqtt428ooe24d2lgmpm6v Wed, 17 Aug 2016 09:31:20 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/09/the-fed-is-rethinking-one-thing-too-many Potential growth in America might be as healthy as ever /content/f0uogpvig939n4nndcmpu4orbet8het2 Tue, 09 Aug 2016 20:46:16 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/09/the-great-wall-of-trump /content/e29mtr8g87f2v1ba7kbb1ifg3iuirg7s Tue, 09 Aug 2016 16:22:59 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/05/strong-jobs-growth-will-tempt-the-fed-to-make-an-error But the case for not raising rates remains strong /content/9pj6193dvfq1nh8p0lf05fn0lr5cdmm2 Fri, 05 Aug 2016 15:47:25 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/02/stressed-out-banks /content/mdv41n75f37h1mi7qaih14o6ppnmjb3m Tue, 02 Aug 2016 16:34:05 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/28/bigger-budget-deficits-in-america-the-crazy-policy-or-the-sane-one Hewing too closely to economic orthodoxy enables the Donald Trumps of the world /content/nam6cs7trsidc2oeljg80okks64vteki Thu, 28 Jul 2016 19:22:35 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/26/luring-financial-firms-to-luxembourg /content/q8jdes6j58qr44cmab49q8mp605u5gov Tue, 26 Jul 2016 17:51:56 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/19/a-coup-de-grace-for-the-turkish-economy /content/0c2geabasmma4o7klv5a3u3t87k6jifa Tue, 19 Jul 2016 17:03:27 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/16/what-is-the-best-way-to-redistribute-income Policymakers should keep distribution in mind, but remember that some good policies increase inequality /content/7012lde7hquugg96bse10hrh5qtq330r Sat, 16 Jul 2016 11:45:01 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/15/british-economy-policy-is-not-helping-those-at-the-bottom Absolute poverty in Britain has been rising for a decade /content/kf4u1bojs79n88cf1k2nesvdj3kacths Fri, 15 Jul 2016 11:58:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/15/chinas-economy-strong-but-for-how-long /content/isih4tcb5ce190qj3v9s1ldv6le0bh0j Fri, 15 Jul 2016 06:36:16 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/12/how-to-bounce-back-from-brexit /content/3tct69u0uljvn30p1vmml9hhed39is4g Tue, 12 Jul 2016 16:39:53 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/06/italian-banks-are-the-new-brexit /content/jpjb2vq4lrc1q0fti2n661qtrem3gsa3 Wed, 06 Jul 2016 09:35:42 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/06/why-talk-of-the-pound-hitting-a-30-year-low-is-a-bit-misleading Making the cast-iron economic case against Brexit even stronger /content/0ili9pftslfh0nqhq1mk4rhu4gp603vb Wed, 06 Jul 2016 09:20:22 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/07/01/everything-is-not-ok Equities may be recovering, but bond markets remain in full panic mode /content/j161ale7ljj67oaoq1i99auqb8q77dbj Fri, 01 Jul 2016 12:00:39 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/06/30/can-you-identify-any-impact-of-brexit-on-the-economy You can find evidence of a British economic slowdown, if you look hard enough /content/9k4q2nc8439s9varm6ba9qpnv6akmrtf Thu, 30 Jun 2016 08:13:15 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/06/28/brexit-bedlam /content/d2qtihk63veg4j1b3o1epbg6lb7kfj7g Tue, 28 Jun 2016 17:29:57 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/06/24/how-to-be-fair-to-the-pro-eu-scotland How to be fair to the pro-EU Scotland /content/jqee523i2ig26okplvh7qrd2gojtgems Fri, 24 Jun 2016 15:15:49 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/06/21/is-ceo-pay-out-of-control /content/8lt458kr772vjone1gh0rii30b3auang Tue, 21 Jun 2016 17:36:02 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/06/20/fed-officials-try-to-understand-why-they-cannot-keep-raising-rates And the president of the St Louis Fed has some wild ideas /content/3kj2jhmgdnb94pqvnne8r237qm234pn7 Mon, 20 Jun 2016 11:21:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/06/14/the-economics-of-gun-violence /content/mhff3l3ihq4eh6cjupnksk47q29kcp1g Tue, 14 Jun 2016 17:03:02 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/06/07/are-asset-managers-worth-the-money /content/2eups5gj0pnm8ebhsassj8gept6moepq Tue, 07 Jun 2016 15:10:24 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/06/01/banks-brace-for-brexit /content/f7536qgejfh7d3hjh060cii6k0rtqhih Wed, 01 Jun 2016 09:08:24 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/05/25/the-economist-was-cautious-about-britain-joining-the-euro The Economist was cautious about Britain joining the euro /content/k9982004flaovravghujvrsaupdqsp4r Wed, 25 May 2016 10:14:25 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/05/24/regulating-the-digital-economy HOW should digital platforms like Google and Facebook be regulated? And quinoa has impressed everyone from Oprah to the United Nations but is quinoa competition putting farmers in Bolivia and Peru out of business? /content/np9lbgt1f1cje20kcno63ila1s668pdv Tue, 24 May 2016 16:07:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/05/19/americas-central-bank-picks-a-poor-time-to-get-hawkish The Federal Reserve suggests a rate rise might be coming sooner than markets think, despite low inflation and a weak global economy /content/63et2qgpo8gks0ptbge5ohc6hjrei6e0 Thu, 19 May 2016 15:10:06 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/05/10/bailout-in-brussels THE GREEK government's massive debts are roiling Europe again; and does the quest for affordable housing trump the right to a holiday home? /content/2b6kk4h0ni814t4hvo3ugvmrolet5s8f Tue, 10 May 2016 18:35:51 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/05/03/i-am-bitcoin CRAIG WRIGHT claims to have founded the cryptocurrency. Our technology and business affairs editors debate whether his 'proofs' add up. Plus China's looming debt crisis - and the economics of Game of Thrones /content/4e4285atga3bh6udkpuv56jjljctj3ra Tue, 03 May 2016 19:23:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/27/the-link-between-pro-austerity-and-anti-brexit Lithuanians defend their austerity programme and are mystified by the possibility of Brexit /content/9n1g9c9tv830adhj0nfvs7h69er0rea3 Wed, 27 Apr 2016 14:45:21 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/26/emerging-market-deja-vu COMMODITIES, emerging markets and inflation expectations may all have reached a turning point. Is it 1999 all over again? And we explore whether China's strategic ambitions in Africa are overstated /content/kjfrnti5di9b8cvc9nftotma5oi9psap Tue, 26 Apr 2016 17:27:41 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/25/do-british-housing-markets-suffer-from-market-failure As the price of land continues to rise, housebuilders target the rich /content/u68bto058pgjpl6272unjg8cchp80co1 Mon, 25 Apr 2016 14:32:06 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/20/the-fiscal-devolution-deal-to-scotland-is-very-generous Scotland has taken control of income tax while minimising risk /content/7jbpqnao4jpqagupb26ak6l2sujuep4r Wed, 20 Apr 2016 10:09:02 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/19/single-and-ready-to-spend UNMARRIED women are becoming an increasingly potent economic force and we check in with the author of our Special report on business in Africa /content/kgv4n04fagkehonp7r8sk1v80j9oo3d2 Tue, 19 Apr 2016 17:27:24 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/13/how-russia-bounced-back-from-the-oil-crash The agile response of the Russian central bank to the oil crisis caught many off guard; so, how did the organs of Russian finance weather the crash? And, as the Panama papers threaten global tax havens, where should privacy end and transparency begin? /content/kfarm15399lm5s8f6mc3b0vdqgqo8gld Wed, 13 Apr 2016 10:28:55 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/08/trade-in-the-time-of-low-interest-rates When demand is weak, protectionism looks more attractive /content/u2ab11kkp0jl632v4bj2p5ulfa6ipuos Fri, 08 Apr 2016 08:25:30 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/07/should-the-london-stock-exchange-be-part-of-a-mega-merger THE CEO of the London Stock Exchange, Xavier Rolet, talks to Anne McElvoy and Philip Coggan about the proposed merger of London's historic stock exchange and Deutsche Börse. Would it create a more globally powerful institution – or add more risk to to the financial system? /content/u7qup040ocfr6mj2b942mbtpurckb9ju Thu, 07 Apr 2016 16:57:42 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/05/the-panama-evasion THE leak of a huge trove of documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, creates an uproar about the shell companies that many of the super-rich use to hide their wealth. The row, which has ensnared politicians from Iceland to China, will strengthen the push to curb international tax evasion and money-laundering /content/qva91926aa6lc4kipodin4enqvi9tnlh Tue, 05 Apr 2016 19:17:34 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/04/01/which-universities-deliver-the-best-feelgood-experience /content/ga9gub90v2ssns7jt8sf8st7trhrstvc Fri, 01 Apr 2016 10:39:12 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/29/the-problem-with-profits THIS WEEK: What too much profit at the top means for America and how billionaires in emerging countries are riding the waves of economic growth /content/bmpv8abma7ftv8p6tjg0e6gggr8fam8f Tue, 29 Mar 2016 17:10:10 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/29/longer-jail-sentences-do-deter-crime-but-only-up-to-a-point /content/jqfe9epb9hq0soibfbu83asph30k5h4t Tue, 29 Mar 2016 11:02:20 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/24/if-the-fed-wants-more-inflation-it-should-say-so /content/081icdhjpuq17fm2h8gbqd5p3ek7ddpa Thu, 24 Mar 2016 12:14:09 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/22/fudge-ocracy THIS WEEK: What a study about promotions in China might say about the country's GDP data, and stormy waters ahead for asset managers /content/3g8h0sd6b394t2935gn0bdf4sia7ae2t Tue, 22 Mar 2016 17:56:20 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/18/removing-the-tampon-tax-is-good-politics-but-what-about-the-economics THE BRITISH government currently slaps a 5% Value Added Tax (VAT) on sanitary products. But some view the “tampon tax” as an affront to women, who have little choice but to bear the burden of the levy. The government has been prevented from reducing the rate to zero by EU rules, which limit how much countries can lower VAT rates on some goods. But on March 17th, George Osborne rummaged around for a rabbit in his post-budget hat, and revealed progress towards a new VAT arrangement with the EU that would give him the freedom to ditch the hated tax. /content/n214qlrvd9dajkl5d5sasli7d2mpo9os Fri, 18 Mar 2016 15:27:01 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/17/britains-budget ANNE MCELVOY asks our Britain economics correspondent, Callum Williams, to assess George Osborne's 2016 fiscal blueprint and its chances of success /content/ffmskd224jjbrsj30fuproc4j7kjmibq Thu, 17 Mar 2016 17:12:05 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/15/bitcoin-lessons THE DIGITAL CURRENCY was created to challenge existing financial institutions, but may end up helping bankers /content/m5gpaf2gbd5pqp6mqou2id5m16q0u14c Tue, 15 Mar 2016 23:59:15 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/13/lloyd-shapley-a-nobel-laureate-in-economics-has-died The mathematician, who won the Nobel prize for economics in 2012, died on March 12th aged 92. /content/v7fmen364j32lvf0m0rsd90bj20s7doq Sun, 13 Mar 2016 17:00:26 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/08/heavy-metal-china OPTIMISM about China's economy has fuelled a resurgence of commodity prices from iron ore to oil. But how long will it last? /content/8cln29ipmcm68m5nnuq46imusgd74o4e Tue, 08 Mar 2016 17:13:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/08/the-real-intergenerational-inequity /content/kmi9gped2edltjq0l3te10n0dninvtep Tue, 08 Mar 2016 16:03:44 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/02/bankable /content/9439k4fdicv9pm2khvpmgp3coov9898r Wed, 02 Mar 2016 16:00:02 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/01/argentina-in-the-black ARGENTINA'S debt crisis seems finally to be coming to an end. Will its deal with creditors enable it to borrow abroad again at last? Should lenders to Venezuela, on the brink of its own default, applaud or shudder? /content/d9rmmb5dlrgafqqsdlh83t4jdfuq6nbn Tue, 01 Mar 2016 18:27:35 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/03/01/why-trump-haters-should-bet-on-him-to-win /content/4g1qhotpaem3ukncgl2o1nje2lp9t438 Tue, 01 Mar 2016 13:11:37 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/29/should-central-banks-offer-timelines-for-monetary-policy /content/kgj0qs6upuj209g1jo37huare550bqa4 Mon, 29 Feb 2016 14:39:23 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/29/disney-discovers-peak-pricing /content/h623nl4ini41lido5rprifq152hu9c4n Mon, 29 Feb 2016 13:06:53 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/23/trumponomics DONALD TRUMP'S presidential campaign is astounding political analysts and flummoxing economists; and we also look at whether high denomination bank notes are useful only to criminals /content/l3ba446hptjmrf2si7p8vuv6dfvui0f5 Tue, 23 Feb 2016 18:51:27 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/17/some-ways-in-which-the-chinese-economy-might-evolve None of them good /content/rdni06gbi5u66ngi9brvjmg3099g9isd Wed, 17 Feb 2016 14:29:07 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/16/clutching-at-straws This week we discuss whether policy-makers are out of ammunition to fight global financial jitters, pondering efforts to prop up oil prices and signs that central banks will ease monetary policy further /content/ju8f6mhpaed798om7rn534cirduleiqp Tue, 16 Feb 2016 21:42:31 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/16/how-much-has-the-imf-really-given-to-ukraine /content/3p2d3tl1ej7dmk31bpa8iv06t28rqc7m Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:50:08 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/16/do-millennials-save /content/d8qeicjdv9cb7cmodgt63qrou1g67qve Tue, 16 Feb 2016 13:45:24 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/11/this-isnt-2008-but-it-isnt-great-either /content/g7nrs3tcc634c8mnihgb0m7vndqf3ak7 Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:53:30 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/10/would-a-dating-app-just-for-economists-work /content/8hj4pc15815nfkgauu3c13ds273t4t68 Wed, 10 Feb 2016 17:36:21 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/09/february-9th-2016 Our correspondents discuss sharp falls in the value of bank stocks and evaluate the parallels with the 2007-08 financial crisis /content/cod2ddl63jv0lkd03jmnbk7b8kvat3ag Tue, 09 Feb 2016 19:19:59 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/09/building-more-houses-is-only-part-of-the-remedy-for-high-prices /content/lha7us8gdc5paa25nlltjsr6m70n3q9p Tue, 09 Feb 2016 09:52:12 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/03/how-to-make-negative-rates-less-painful /content/s70jgset4np0lcdbii3o9lbqdgkcj7oj Wed, 03 Feb 2016 11:26:41 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/02/a-peer-to-peer-ponzi-scheme PONZI schemes abound in China and the latest has bilked nearly one million investors; and we also look at why negative interest rates have gone from being a European phenomenon to a global one /content/klpbva4t4q4dslbn0aq69l5si2aj6ks8 Tue, 02 Feb 2016 17:51:35 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/02/02/the-rouble-has-not-depreciated-by-as-much-as-it-may-seem /content/g64tocn3db1pgif53hut1m0t74m4u8r3 Tue, 02 Feb 2016 09:55:32 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/28/the-fed-makes-the-best-of-the-bad-situation-it-created Now policy-makers cross their fingers until March /content/t01r37eui91ktrtn23uad61k106uer7o Thu, 28 Jan 2016 10:30:58 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/26/the-tax-man-cometh A DEAL struck between Google and the British government over back payments signals change in the way multinationals will be taxed, though it is proving controversial /content/pd4mvcgejgc9g9pbu94dh7s0irslotab Tue, 26 Jan 2016 17:01:49 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/21/are-results-in-top-journals-to-be-trusted Publication bias in academic journals is nothing new. A finding of no correlation between sporting events and either violent crime or property crime may be analytically top class, but you couldn’t be blamed, frankly, for not giving a damn. But if journal editors are more interested in surprising results, there is a danger that the final selection of published papers offer a distorted vision of reality. /content/pv6dgeheshj2k2tq0e111sgjnh7qcobq Thu, 21 Jan 2016 17:21:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/21/do-falling-markets-mean-recession-is-on-the-horizon /content/35gfd2fkcjlk21chnr7j7v9ls0vg15hm Thu, 21 Jan 2016 11:55:56 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/20/the-ukrainian-economy-is-not-terrible-everywhere /content/o9cqagrf8gsk3r7a6b4ra2siqteergrg Wed, 20 Jan 2016 14:32:36 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/19/the-drawback-of-cheap-oil OUR energy and economics editors explain why the plummeting oil price may not be as good as usual for the world economy and our Buttonwood columnist discusses his award-winning article on the deep-rooted problems of the financial sector /content/a9rsui7vp5k1udl7pkupe6laobdcjd2q Tue, 19 Jan 2016 18:06:50 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/15/chinas-government-faces-extremely-unappetising-policy-options Neither depreciation or capital controls will save the economy from its massive debt problem /content/fid4imja4iupc90kebuatf3su39fjrf8 Fri, 15 Jan 2016 09:25:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/14/it-is-too-early-to-say-whether-the-fed-made-a-mistake-by-raising-rates-in-december /content/5ll602rtv8bmiu5tlguhlf6mmbbtamkq Thu, 14 Jan 2016 21:44:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/13/there-is-more-than-one-way-to-avoid-negative-interest-rates Businesses usually like early payment, and sometimes offer discounts to encourage it /content/l71m31lesof2ip45llt76kokkeghdg8e Wed, 13 Jan 2016 20:03:31 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/12/a-cocktail-of-risks Worries about the Chinese economy continue to dog global markets. Famous economists and investors are making grim predictions. Is 2016 the year of doom and gloom? /content/h182kmdqnkavaahj98iohl7uug5sc3ca Tue, 12 Jan 2016 17:28:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/08/the-questionable-logic-behind-the-feds-premature-rate-rise The Federal Reserve is way too concerned about the possibility of a sharp and sustained increase in inflation /content/b0fn0hj53ct8v1qm5ulk014eqq0m4jr8 Fri, 08 Jan 2016 08:00:36 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/07/china-crashes-its-stockmarket-with-circuit-breakers-meant-to-save-it /content/cv0msqvbjg85ghdmjieb9025o9l1flsl Thu, 07 Jan 2016 06:04:06 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/05/the-big-mac-index The Economist’s burger benchmark aims to make exchange-rate theory more digestible. Our correspondents chew over the reasons some currencies appear as cheap as chips /content/acujo359airat8ksl1jpsl2tqc0iepk6 Tue, 05 Jan 2016 18:52:19 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/01/05/an-example-of-poor-economics-journalism /content/md2rlrhgg1a8hhk1hn49hueprohosl6v Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:30:37 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/31/economists-evolving-understanding-of-the-zero-rate-liquidity-trap Low rates are increasingly seen as a permanent feature of the global economic landscape /content/mbquco39c13kkn4tshqqv51ikf3d84f0 Thu, 31 Dec 2015 10:32:53 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/15/the-fed-awakens REBOOTING the age-old "Monetary Wars" saga, the Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates for the first time since June 2006. What will the impact be for America and beyond? /content/ukjj28bdtau02qhimkbqgchidg4e5vh4 Tue, 15 Dec 2015 10:52:52 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/11/europes-carbon-trading-system-is-better-than-thought-and-could-be-better-still Adoption of a price floor and the end of free permit allocations would strengthen the world's biggest carbon pricing system /content/5ojpgham9d69rkoe79vh0b8il8k2kctl Fri, 11 Dec 2015 15:21:16 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/10/failure-to-address-global-warming-will-cost-many-lives Given the human cost of unaddressed climate change, far more action to halt warming is needed /content/s5p13cg91nv3b3lhi1vtp1bbpseha3gq Thu, 10 Dec 2015 11:11:19 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/10/government-cuts-have-tended-to-land-on-the-young MANY suspect governments of protecting increasingly wrinkly electorates over the young within the big austerity packages imposed since the financial crisis and recession. While youths have undeniably had a particularly rough ride within labour markets, the overall effects of the response to the crisis are a bit more complicated. /content/5voutf2egjuqhqjd3qniapbgfcbq607r Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:44:08 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/09/are-britons-in-more-debt-or-less Many commentators are worried about the rising level of personal debt in Britain /content/1g02q6ltkb4p2vvnn2g4va952mafbld4 Wed, 09 Dec 2015 11:34:01 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/08/how-to-help-whistleblowers WHISTLEBLOWING, responsible for uncovering 42% of exposed corporate fraud, is often met with hostility, penalties and sometimes prosecution. But this may be about to change /content/ane2bnd7m1p8p1ggfql3u14bfumb0qmm Tue, 08 Dec 2015 17:06:18 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/04/as-a-share-of-gdp-investment-is-not-in-decline /content/haosb1pti6n2lh93j3e196jflqomrtjh Fri, 04 Dec 2015 03:00:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/02/ukraine-threatens-to-wreck-two-years-of-economic-reform Politics may trump good economic sense when it comes to Ukraine's next budget /content/qjf1d9lrp4mqbrk3ijp9juoeeclk7g5n Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:42:33 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/02/peoples-beliefs-and-motives-influence-the-effectiveness-of-green-policies Households that undertake costly pro-environmental actions may subsequently worry less about climate change /content/22me8ti5f2jkisneteeci8i62l4e3rui Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:21:26 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/12/01/should-we-tax-sugar GOVERNMENTS around the world are taxing sugary drinks to help curb obesity, but do so-called 'sin taxes' on the likes of sugar or cigarettes work or has the nanny state gone rogue? /content/3e6gnik9i8ln39iddub4s4s6ar07amm9 Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:56:23 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/30/without-carbon-pricing-subsidies-to-renewables-can-be-counterproductive Subsidies reduce electricity costs, encouraging more usage and continued dependence on dirty energy /content/k6ml755egsle2t1n2p9m1edn4le1hba0 Mon, 30 Nov 2015 09:48:14 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/27/latin-american-economies-should-show-leadership-on-climate-negotiations Forward-thinking climate action can be an economic boon /content/emei8meps0t0fnsdngtanbd3n53p4e0g Fri, 27 Nov 2015 12:57:49 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/26/small-changes-in-diet-can-make-a-big-difference-to-greenhouse-gas-emissions A tax on carbon would nudge people to eat healthier, and less environmentally fraught, kinds of food /content/f2nahd7phhq3cnksnkar8ln3feg80boe Thu, 26 Nov 2015 10:32:09 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/25/high-pay-motivates-bankers-but-bonuses-often-do-not Deutsche Bank's boss's bonus scepticism is warranted /content/amr1gmtb7s7v84jab05reacsdt9lheaq Wed, 25 Nov 2015 14:07:47 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/25/douglass-north-a-pioneer-in-institutional-economics-has-died A great economic historian, Mr North tackled the big questions, like why some countries become rich while others remain poor /content/d9hrilmr9g84co2qqo99sged0k9j7kbj Wed, 25 Nov 2015 11:17:56 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/24/terrorism-and-the-economy ANALYSING the effects of terrorist acts on lost GDP or lower stockmarket indices may seem to be missing the point. But terrorists aim to wreak havoc, including with our economy /content/jgh990na3bgnl8nooc15g4revn63r6qs Tue, 24 Nov 2015 17:41:04 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/23/the-euro-crisis-was-not-a-government-debt-crisis Misdiagnosis of the crisis hindered the response, and set the stage for future economic woes /content/f1gilt6lnbku9d8u04bt0h7inqffokig Mon, 23 Nov 2015 09:43:44 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/20/to-get-a-climate-agreement-first-set-out-principles-for-fair-cost-sharing Initial agreement on the ground rules for divvying up costs will pave the way to a broad deal /content/u43goejl4hf3bcl592p4af3ckarpnq20 Fri, 20 Nov 2015 13:46:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/18/the-paris-climate-change-conference-needs-to-be-more-ambitious The latest guest post in our series on the Paris climate-change conference this December /content/g46t9gak1159u9n2ai7ct1kfqeld1a7k Wed, 18 Nov 2015 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/17/a-world-of-debt LIKE the sub-prime mortgage crisis in America and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, emerging markets could be on the cusp of their own debt reckoning /content/ohe95ebdfmbj7jtf50rlsgkhsa6dbaef Tue, 17 Nov 2015 18:16:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/16/governments-do-not-know-the-best-way-to-save-the-amazon-rainforest-and-that-needs-to-change The latest guest post in our series on the Paris climate-change conference this December /content/j331nrfib9813bgi4o1sr6mg3n6fn8os Mon, 16 Nov 2015 23:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/15/the-worlds-never-ending-debt-story A selection of economics articles from this week's print edition /content/dk7kttu9lm6fsovcfb1iavopilnv38gs Sun, 15 Nov 2015 18:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/13/some-simple-rules-of-thumb Business cycles are complicated, but they're not that complicated /content/brr7vpbq5i3sapo8s4nif9m2752knham Fri, 13 Nov 2015 14:57:27 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/12/do-ultra-low-interest-rates-really-damage-growth Why Bill Gross is wrong to say that rock-bottom interest rates are discouraging investment /content/6o8f1cl8nfkr0qbbtnu28h7fspp5a39b Thu, 12 Nov 2015 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/11/why-running-a-budget-deficit-can-reduce-the-national-debt You can run a budget deficit and lower your debt burden simultaneously /content/k8cr0vc515gtiul6a32bravck1ml26vh Wed, 11 Nov 2015 20:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/10/shy-unicorns SOME of Silicon Valley's most successful companies have yet to go public. The private world of "unicorns" is a gentler place than the stockmarket, perhaps artificially /content/8a06lf57roca4n9843m7vbsen2qfplmf Tue, 10 Nov 2015 16:55:47 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/06/pensions-in-america-housing-booms-and-abenomics A look at economics articles in this week's paper /content/j5aj1vmdo921oovtm51kvpq42a985smj Fri, 06 Nov 2015 12:28:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/05/why-politicians-are-asking-the-wrong-questions-about-gender-inequality Rather than looking at earnings ratios, politicians should instead be asking who gets which jobs and why /content/6vqvkeeg4c59kpf31qo02blguel7a0o3 Thu, 05 Nov 2015 16:57:41 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/05/the-bank-of-england-may-not-raise-interest-rates-until-2017 Britain's central bank decided to keep interest rates on hold in November /content/rcrrravjl9tgd5t0q626s5rtaasto0aa Thu, 05 Nov 2015 14:55:40 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/04/uncertainty-over-future-interest-rates-should-shape-policy-today No-one knows where interest rates will end up. That should affect policy today /content/ftqdp92e1n05gnt0slpieor8sfk2t7sl Wed, 04 Nov 2015 21:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/03/the-trust-machine APOSTLES of blockchain, the technology behind Bitcoin, think of it as the internet of money with implications stretching far beyond the cryptocurrency /content/h4gqblbv4fbvtnu8clgk75bs4ecmh50t Tue, 03 Nov 2015 18:46:13 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/11/02/brazils-economy-bank-regulation-and-happiness A look at economics articles in this week's paper /content/i54smchcnfm60cjndg6vv75i13sfkfkt Mon, 02 Nov 2015 17:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/31/a-cheaper-bill-for-recapitalising-greek-banks Greece's banking sector receives some good news for once /content/mcs74ea9nmtisgr8k538mrra3onn6d50 Sat, 31 Oct 2015 14:47:10 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/30/the-bank-of-japan-keeps-printing-money-at-speed Stopping just short of adding to its massive programme of quantitative easing /content/v639hkhpbpj1luuidsskg2t0lq94tbsm Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:27:23 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/28/the-reason-for-low-wages-in-britain-that-no-one-mentions Britain's hidden "part-time for economic reasons" people /content/ump38atak27h8bvd5f39jdvg9i66uon7 Wed, 28 Oct 2015 11:40:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/27/accounting-for-profit COMPANY bosses have many ways to massage their firms' accounts. Many are legal, but can attract the wrath of investors if discovered /content/b5c3gsdr77bm6ommop39m4fndfelstuk Tue, 27 Oct 2015 18:47:50 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/27/britain-registers-quarterly-gdp-growth-of-05 The global economic slowdown hits Britain /content/42mcnmk6ketlqqs9hs6qet9o8at6uf8a Tue, 27 Oct 2015 09:52:42 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/23/rate-cut-shows-that-even-chinas-government-doesnt-believe-its-own-data What China's latest interest-rate cut tell you about its own statistics /content/laj72do725g6b7o559c29vpiqn3idmtf Fri, 23 Oct 2015 18:20:59 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/23/does-the-gig-economy-revolutionise-the-world-of-work-or-is-it-a-storm-in-a-teacup A guest post about the sharing economy /content/3p6f4a2mj6jmekta2flqkr2ct6a7jco7 Fri, 23 Oct 2015 09:57:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/22/the-european-central-bank-prepares-to-extend-its-quantitative-easing-programme-in-december The ECB is likely to lengthen the duration of the programme by at least a further six months. /content/0bg05jgduedq6lg5fc7tl9ucuntg4770 Thu, 22 Oct 2015 14:19:30 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/21/a-housing-boom-puts-young-people-off-studying HOUSING bubbles have a lot to answer for. The bursting of the US ‘subprime’ bubble in 2007-2008 triggered financial panic. Soaring house prices have been blamed for widening inequality. A new paper adds another item to the charge sheet: a housing boom might stop your kids going to university. /content/694s8np0jvim7lq88pm4ga84meajf25n Wed, 21 Oct 2015 12:58:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/20/the-fintech-edge WILL Silicon Valley bring down the banks? From payments to remittances, startups are disrupting the world of financial services and luring young talent away from banks /content/q21hg6dv0ods1d4r83khqkqb4uo0lbrd Tue, 20 Oct 2015 17:41:31 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/19/official-data-say-chinas-economy-is-barely-slowing-are-they-believable /content/h41aj16f4tlglhq6v6uo5psvboq9mt6j Mon, 19 Oct 2015 06:06:12 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/15/how-to-build-more /content/p6mc5ls0q6ki2qvd7spj4nc0h387ok78 Thu, 15 Oct 2015 11:30:36 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/13/the-gdp-conundrum GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) is the most closely watched economic indicator but is it fit for purpose? /content/oc7ksrkgjdmvd8cpj6uegc7rcgibt4sr Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:28:51 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/12/the-autumn-meetings-of-the-imf-and-world-bank-conclude-with-a-chill As global leaders meet, emerging-market anxiety abounds /content/gqsjtsiov8vphidchppj6vp8fvh65a78 Mon, 12 Oct 2015 23:12:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/12/why-air-pollution-is-sometimes-good-news-for-the-climate The dilemma facing policymakers /content/uj9jkdvfqsjusuktidvv18fr7ar5vf4f Mon, 12 Oct 2015 14:44:56 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/12/the-nobel-prize-goes-to-angus-deaton This year's award went to an economist from Princeton for his work on "consumption, poverty and welfare" /content/h3e27ffm1qd5le80nv3i7nl92ccdnleo Mon, 12 Oct 2015 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/09/tpp-llamas-and-quantitative-frightening A selection of economics articles from this week's print edition /content/i5r0btgoq4nlcsanjuau456d3bsvu7c4 Fri, 09 Oct 2015 17:28:42 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/08/americans-are-spending-more-of-the-oil-price-windfall-than-they-realise How falling the falling oil price has helped consumption in America /content/78sqlcibe6i1ovcikbrm18v91g7i0mqu Thu, 08 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/07/optimistic-imf-forecasts-could-be-undone-by-financial-woes The Fund's forecasts look more bullish than those of other analysts /content/vsgbtp3b650fqprt1sr8ojp7c49q2j9u Wed, 07 Oct 2015 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/06/the-art-of-the-tax-dodge CORPORATE tax avoidance schemes cost governments an estimated $240 billion a year. Can new measures to curb the practice keep company profits away from offshore havens? /content/hm2t7s1nmp1s470cjrm12ic738ts3bbe Tue, 06 Oct 2015 17:54:47 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/06/the-fed-should-have-abandoned-inflation-targeting The 2011 decision to stick with inflation targeting doomed America to a decade of rock-bottom interest rates /content/m0uifql3mk11q0s7v6vmvnb68nar00la Tue, 06 Oct 2015 06:31:49 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/05/the-dominant-and-dangerous-dollar A selection of economics articles from this week's print edition /content/7i8e9mktmb2nmrhgi18fhlen94kmj6uh Mon, 05 Oct 2015 03:00:43 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/03/the-money-wave-hitting-emerging-markets Raising interest rates in America could have a big impact on emerging-market economies /content/lee5drb2r53mjq493dpqleivupi0rkgq Sat, 03 Oct 2015 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/02/lousy-jobs-numbers-suggest-the-fed-was-right-not-to-hike-rates Downbeat employment figures vindicate the Federal Reserve's latest decision not to hike interest rates /content/5lqd8gvtea9c6rqnqgf9dkn1lb103t8h Fri, 02 Oct 2015 13:30:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/01/the-patient-awakes A budget surplus furrows brows /content/aten89fblupo8hqp81n3td8q4d1csi86 Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:52:05 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/10/01/why-some-emerging-market-leaders-say-they-want-the-fed-to-hike Uncertainty is uncomfortable, but premature rate increases would be worse /content/p9huuu0dm06v7asbqdra4qijg1jfdpti Thu, 01 Oct 2015 08:50:42 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/29/the-business-of-skin FROM newspapers to music, the media world has been upended by the internet. Porn is no exception. How has the industry survived amid an endless torrent of free adult content? /content/skkeo57ebdm5jq0r93ok3hqqajrhra0a Tue, 29 Sep 2015 21:54:18 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/24/the-strangest-chart /content/e9pj9jjccb6uki2vekcogdcluop66n62 Thu, 24 Sep 2015 13:01:45 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/24/murphys-law-unto-himself /content/3r9adl0322di5rqsppjps7f6gg9eqja4 Thu, 24 Sep 2015 09:17:48 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/23/why-britain-is-not-so-unequal-after-all A new paper from the Institute of Fiscal Studies presents some interesting conclusions about Britain's tax and benefits system /content/j007ds6n2i5nvu0t9ra6a545kj47trre Wed, 23 Sep 2015 09:03:58 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/22/noxious-business VOLKSWAGEN confessed to cheating on emissions tests in America in the latest corporate blow-up. How do firms deal with costly disasters both accidental and self-induced? /content/1jj0dsn2n3vju19d7jh8k5p9k1on6404 Tue, 22 Sep 2015 19:01:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/22/why-the-paris-conference-may-not-be-enough Another guest post in our series on the economics of climate change /content/d6tmjm1eaem78j4dg5ri9tpou93ufmof Tue, 22 Sep 2015 18:02:26 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/17/why-good-jobs-numbers-may-never-be-enough A softening of the inflation outlook was enough to deter action /content/u3dn10bie7nqmm7hr8596v2ag49kb7qb Thu, 17 Sep 2015 18:04:26 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/15/far-out-and-far-left BRITAIN'S Labour party has a new leader and possibly a new, radical economic agenda, Africa's farms aren't growing and the upside to tube strikes /content/2eds8ca1gs487p10pc6p3kj1v21nie1h Tue, 15 Sep 2015 17:32:36 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/14/the-great-british-housing-market-chart-athon /content/ccd6rhaa651uddskspikd86h17qm00hn Mon, 14 Sep 2015 15:48:51 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/14/why-tube-strikes-help-londoners /content/2raf1bh24fpi95jn2r0j0n8pj1te5kn3 Mon, 14 Sep 2015 13:25:39 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/14/trying-to-limit-the-flow-of-non-europeans-has-backfired The unlikely result of restrictions on high-skilled migration /content/e14t1j451r8ckegugnv5dabvrc0pobj9 Mon, 14 Sep 2015 02:32:58 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/08/tumble-and-fall THE commodities crash forces the mining and trading group behemoth, Glencore, to drastically adjust its balance sheet as global trade stalls and the copper market swoons /content/9g4s5hr19f4hpoglumq2ir7h79t8hd8o Tue, 08 Sep 2015 16:32:23 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/08/a-short-history-of-the-worlds-wackiest-bond Why Russia can make Ukraine default on all its debts /content/2n3l54kqfogt9mhigptu25855pvv461m Tue, 08 Sep 2015 13:44:47 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/07/the-woes-of-rich-commodity-exporters A reliance on exporting metals and energy is harming Australia and Canada’s economies /content/ffpejpim71ulsisipf9e5rbh2grfjct2 Mon, 07 Sep 2015 14:12:04 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/07/how-chinas-cash-injections-add-up-to-quantitative-squeezing In purely quantitative terms, China's central bank has been tightening, not easing. And it has been doing so for several years already. /content/egf1nunfo46sgdecim2gbjtpfiham5gs Mon, 07 Sep 2015 06:04:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/04/new-jobs-numbers-do-little-to-illuminate-the-feds-path The latest labour data leaves a decision on rates wide open /content/8j7v167aakt9e4ql5e54v5v178ch07ah Fri, 04 Sep 2015 18:40:59 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/04/turbulent-markets-in-the-suspect-six A look at currencies around the emerging world /content/k1vcb1bptf999lnnhjrqosl619s3rsi1 Fri, 04 Sep 2015 17:47:14 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/03/a-signal-to-do-more Revised forecasts made clear why the ECB may have to step up its quantitative-easing programme /content/bmtting8tc0fi3b6njvm47s62msb484n Thu, 03 Sep 2015 14:54:19 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/03/the-imf-urges-the-fed-to-delay-a-rate-rise Its latest note on global economic growth argues that rates need to stay lower for longer /content/lp9vrt51hv2lnumf5jsmrbicsong5va9 Thu, 03 Sep 2015 14:30:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/02/the-euro-areas-uninspiring-recovery Even before the recent panic in financial markets about the flailing Chinese economy, the euro-zone recovery was losing rather than gaining momentum /content/kvgrric7rbji6gge9kk98qut32l47ara Wed, 02 Sep 2015 13:29:15 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/02/china-is-scaring-away-foreign-investors-with-its-efforts-to-defend-shares From the concerted wooing of international investors to doing just about everything in its power to keep them out /content/99ik9kvlngv44s93il42rft1iv2c4a3b Wed, 02 Sep 2015 07:20:37 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/01/chinese-ripples ANOTHER week of market volatility sees the Fed possibly going ahead with a rate rise, Chinese manufacturing drop and oil prices see-saw /content/ot2c0l550pvgap7817e36l8u6a5mki0l Tue, 01 Sep 2015 17:28:14 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/09/01/when-a-26-plunge-in-gdp-feels-fine Why Macau's real economy is yet to be hit by a massive slump in nominal GDP /content/e4g2b2eq33hi8crqc2qih60aeh52vngg Tue, 01 Sep 2015 10:41:08 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/28/was-the-crash-that-big /content/ti55c0lengc7ugrhfstg13taclkr676p Fri, 28 Aug 2015 09:42:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/28/the-bank-of-england-will-follow-the-federal-reserve When will rates rise? /content/2q67qt46dopfnbolkd0dv70tdjh4elgt Fri, 28 Aug 2015 09:36:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/27/how-natural-resources-breed-violence /content/jm6b1ve1461u15mo593po9oqv3k1bu0p Thu, 27 Aug 2015 13:50:15 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/26/how-exposed-are-american-households-to-the-stock-market /content/b1hb994e5mk5e41i4rb8cup6rrl558fr Wed, 26 Aug 2015 21:22:58 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/25/chinas-boom-gone-bust THE stockmarket rout in China could be the first step towards a recasting of the global economy or a summertime speedbump in an otherwise healthy economy /content/476a6rrgoalaut6sbjl8aj7d0fgu5e4h Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:13:11 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/25/chinas-stockmarket-keeps-plunging-but-cooler-heads-prevail Double-minus-eight might sound very bad in Chinese, but is not a reason to panic /content/te3di5d5hut2fdch14pvr05as44pv705 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 09:06:27 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/25/ukraines-debt-negotiations-are-reaching-a-conclusion /content/rfurpvqu3r4rb1hljirf6p2cem1of55i Tue, 25 Aug 2015 08:39:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/20/fed-leaders-begin-to-recognise-that-september-is-too-soon-to-hike-rates /content/5iip026s53jru16dq1vuakuqjbnv4gru Thu, 20 Aug 2015 04:37:36 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/19/trying-to-count-chinas-jobless New research claims that China's real unemployment rate might be more than twice as high as officially reported. /content/2s2cid3qvbmejpusu3afeesa7j39ta3o Wed, 19 Aug 2015 03:35:24 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/18/not-so-hot-commodities COMMODITIES take a further dive which has impacted inflation globally and America finally eases its ban on crude oil exports /content/d9o5m3faaoplb906578hvjdht93diu3p Tue, 18 Aug 2015 18:30:44 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/17/how-governments-should-help-those-on-the-dole A look at how effective jobs programmes are /content/jq4kshpvca4bchn5s6i1ik9eblhm27g8 Mon, 17 Aug 2015 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/16/the-falling-yuan-tax-inversions-and-college-debt A selection of economics articles from this week's print edition /content/uucoo39gn2mfmhbf3pf6us6cqvvchtin Sun, 16 Aug 2015 08:43:13 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/15/a-third-bail-out-gets-the-green-light /content/mtr39kod1rdkjfp535cf01p3cpe8bj78 Sat, 15 Aug 2015 12:51:30 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/14/the-euro-zone-recovery-is-losing-momentum The euro-zone recovery, while intact, lacks vigour to a worrying extent /content/5n8tq2ao9ds3cgurn29hrjehk04pleqo Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:35:04 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/12/silver-linings Some good news lies behind gloomy unemployment statistics /content/t9rloikpmff6c4ma4lipbsmpgilnbb79 Wed, 12 Aug 2015 22:24:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/11/google-hathaway GOOGLE rebrands as 'Alphabet', Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway makes its biggest ever deal and two telecoms rivals merge in Italy /content/8ku7ovf3jei4866436g3bpk6ame768hc Tue, 11 Aug 2015 16:32:15 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/10/a-book-with-too-much-information An economics contributor takes a look at a MIT professor's new book /content/kvdseb2fvof5ggqdssr7nljbfbqngs2m Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:35:56 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/09/spains-economy-manufacturing-in-india-and-how-to-set-interest-rates A selection of economics articles from this week's print edition /content/713tdttvt46m3s3ec26rngnblmrfdvh7 Sun, 09 Aug 2015 13:39:05 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/07/disappointing-figures-probably-wont-put-off-the-feds-rate-rise Economists are still expecting a rise in interest rates soon in America /content/nvk1mit6e70fgi6hj1tlpr56e5i5r13m Fri, 07 Aug 2015 13:01:28 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/06/explaining-super-thursday Releasing all the Bank of England's data at the same time benefits its governor more than it does the British economy /content/sd4pe0c9fvt1uenqg0m83o0a40vduu99 Thu, 06 Aug 2015 16:22:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/06/whos-holding-up-moldova Moldova's new prime minister needs to fix his country's economy fast /content/i23s3ic9qo05n1bnmt0pq7sivp7oe9q2 Thu, 06 Aug 2015 14:26:33 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/06/ups-and-downs JOHN PLENDER, author of "Capitalism: Money, Morals and Markets", and our Schumpeter columnist explore history to explain the free market's vices, virtues and future /content/ll8snlntjaf4dvk596um5par19e1vt7h Thu, 06 Aug 2015 14:04:06 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/05/china-knocks-on-the-reserve-currency-door The International Monetary Fund faces a big decision about whether to recognise the yuan as a reserve currency, despite China’s extensive capital controls. /content/1kulg0vmsiplko7jj208u5vopvb9668m Wed, 05 Aug 2015 07:24:38 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/04/libor-prison-blues A TRADER is sentenced to 14 years in prison for rate-rigging, armoured cars enter the luxury goods market and the British government sells down its stake in Royal Bank of Scotland /content/is1o78dnjl5d0nrpf0jgc226o0gtk20r Tue, 04 Aug 2015 17:18:35 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/04/is-mining-as-bad-as-asset-stripping Do great natural-resource endowments help or hinder a country's growth? /content/nfajsgb25dhf0fv46rc8cr3c1gl8fjnq Tue, 04 Aug 2015 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/03/how-weak-regulation-is-helping-to-build-corporate-kingdoms-in-america New evidence suggests that the enforcement of competition law in America is too weak /content/u3qv70hgd3fekork88ipuar7li8e6lu1 Mon, 03 Aug 2015 18:35:19 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/08/01/switzerlands-central-bank-makes-a-massive-loss But does it matter? /content/o1pcqe7e7gchb2lksds7454aic75nvlt Sat, 01 Aug 2015 10:46:53 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/31/moldovas-bust-banks-renewable-energy-and-turkeys-flightless-economy A selection of economics articles from this week's print edition /content/003iiqce93rmld2g8hul68sna4af5rfc Fri, 31 Jul 2015 23:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/30/will-britain-or-america-raise-interest-rates-first When rates start to rise both sides of the Atlantic, they won't increase by much /content/lq4ljtpg3bfca0pi53sdabk6krrt667c Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:54:34 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/30/are-americans-passing-up-a-chance-at-the-best-jobs The shale boom might be increasing drop-out rates in some parts of America /content/itbcj362dd8445dvad3kth2s5khsb21v Thu, 30 Jul 2015 09:30:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/29/on-the-economics-of-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it How should economists quantify the cost of human extinction /content/pt53bmfuiu8em2r7lq3ftkq4bgpp8nt1 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 11:40:01 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/28/peaks-and-valleys FED watchers mull automating monetary policy, emerging markets feel the effects of China's stockmarket slump and exchange-traded funds surpass hedge funds /content/4vraeadgsru3ovudfeob7gnr45b9q4d3 Tue, 28 Jul 2015 17:28:29 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/28/are-landlords-to-blame-for-britains-housing-crisis Buy-to-let lending is not the main factor behind Britain's crazy house prices /content/tgf3iv08khsgj192tddki4otfhj5nbig Tue, 28 Jul 2015 13:56:32 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/27/why-bull-calves-and-bear-cubs-are-responsible-for-chinas-crazy-share-prices A youth movement fuels volatility in China’s stockmarket /content/tec493ukdsg8vd4g5ij5j9e87dkc6cgh Mon, 27 Jul 2015 11:38:27 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/24/the-limits-of-nudging A look at the Behavioural Insights Team's latest report /content/h0knl5rm0shrv17g96lsen01lhfu49pb Fri, 24 Jul 2015 13:57:23 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/21/minimum-wage-mania GOVERNMENTS are enthusiastically raising the minimum wage of workers. But how high can they go without being harmful? /content/popj39g8avms6urqm0aeinucn9inlsal Tue, 21 Jul 2015 17:08:15 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/21/why-do-people-do-it-to-themselves Why working very long working hours is getting more common /content/go3scj32c92qkc041c51uib1frlt8ob7 Tue, 21 Jul 2015 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2015/07/20/maurice-obstfeld-becomes-the-new-blanchard The International Monetary Fund's new chief economist has been unveiled /content/g6rkg1meb6mfiugabubgulnlis15l3vj Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:22:11 +0000