Opinion

It took Equifax just 35 days to determine that four of its executives did nothing wrong when they sold stock, saving themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars, just days after the company learned that it might have had a security breach. That was four days faster than it took the credit-reporting agency to tell the public about the hack. The …

Here’s what we learned on Thursday about Apple Inc.: People weren’t that interested in buying iPhones in the three months ended in September, and the company isn’t likely to sell many more phones this holiday season than it did in 2016. Here’s what we still don’t know about Apple: Anything definitive about the company’s most pressing business questions: Will people …

The big news in health care last week was the disclosure that CVS Health Corp. — owner of a vast network of drug stores — is considering buying Aetna Inc., one of the nation’s largest health insurers, for roughly $66 billion. It’s undeniably important, but why? Clearly, economic concentration in health care is growing. The possible CVS-Aetna hookup is just …

There are a lot of question marks about Facebook. It’s not clear whether its effort to remake itself into the world’s new living-room television will pay off. It’s not clear whether it can make money from the billions of people using its messaging technologies, WhatsApp and Messenger. And it’s not clear whether Facebook can stay relevant as people find other …

Much about Russia’s online efforts to roil the 2016 US election remains murky. But as executives from America’s top social-media companies — or more precisely, their lawyers — testified before Congress this week, two things became clear. First, the problem is much greater than previously admitted. And second, the companies in question have little incentive to solve it. In two …

Congress adopted a budget last week, paving the way for the introduction of a tax bill, and the White House responded (as it is wont to do) with a tweet. “Budget passes house,” it read. “Momentum for tax cuts growing. #TaxCuts #TaxReform.” Sadly, this message betrays a confusion that does not bode well for the prospects for smart tax reform. …

Catalonia’s now ousted separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has to look for hopeful signs wherever he can get them. After Girona FC, his hometown soccer team, sensationally defeated Real Madrid 2-1 on Sunday, Puigdemont tweeted it was ‘an example and a reference for many situations’ — and added a winking emoticon. In reality, the weekend’s events showed Puigdemont and other Catalan …

The status of bitcoin as a legitimate financial asset may be rising even faster than its price. Just last month, Jamie Dimon, the chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase, said that bitcoin was A) a fraud and B) something his bank would never touch. Dimon said he would personally fire anyone who deigned to trade it. CME group president Bryan …

In his final months as European Central Bank president in 2011, a frustrated Jean-Claude Trichet lamented that “In the face of the crisis, we felt abandoned by conventional tools.” Economics models, he argued, could learn from other disciplines like physics, engineering and psychology; they should better capture the simple fact that humans are not rational, particularly in a crisis. His …

Needing a victory to validate their majorities, congressional Republicans have chosen not to emulate Shakespeare’s Henry V before Agincourt. He advocated stiffening the sinews, summoning up the blood and lending the eye a terrible aspect. The Republicans would rather define victory down. What began with a bang of promises of comprehensive tax reform will end with a whimper: The only …