Opinion

Five or six years ago, with the hangover from the Great Recession still dominating the national conversation, macroeconomic policy was all the rage. Now, it’s an afterthought, with issues like health care, trade and energy taking center stage. But behind the scenes, macroeconomists have been rethinking the basics of how they approach their discipline. The Peterson Institute for International Economics, …

Could the end of the petrodollar be in sight? Moves by China to set up its own crude futures contract and invest in Saudi Arabian Oil Co., or Saudi Aramco, are leading some to think so. Beijing will compel the Saudis to trade oil in yuan, CNBC quoted High Frequency Economics founder Carl Weinberg as saying last week. Crude contracts …

Now that US politicians know that Facebook is unable to stop malicious actors from using it to influence public opinion, the social network is doing its best to avoid tougher regulatory treatment. It shouldn’t be able to get off so easily, though: It must admit it’s really a media company and accept legal liability for the material it publishes. As …

In this week’s crisis over Kirkuk, Iraqi Kurds are experiencing a painful version of Newton’s Third Law: In Middle East politics, as in physics, every action creates an equal and opposite reaction. The initial action was Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani’s decision to push ahead last month with a controversial independence referendum, despite strong warnings from the United States, Turkey, Iran …

People’s Bank of China (PBOC) Governor Zhou Xiaochuan made comments this week that suggest some imminent reform announcements are on the agenda. There are two potential policies to look for in the near term: the loosening of foreign investment restrictions and the launch of domestic oil futures. A new oil futures contract in the Shanghai free trade zone might sound trivial, …

With the nearly century-old Jones Act put back in force, battered Puerto Rico’s future just got even darker. The Department of Homeland Security’s decision to end the commonwealth’s waiver from the law means that its seaborne commerce with the mainland must again be carried on ships owned, built and crewed by Americans. The island’s people — also Americans, if the …

Thankfully, President Donald Trump’s threats to summarily “terminate” the free-trade deal between the US and South Korea have so far proved empty. Now, as the two sides sit down to renegotiate, there’s a chance to make some real improvements. By most measures, the agreement, known as Korus, has been broadly beneficial since it came into effect in 2012. Trade between …

Corporate tax cuts are becoming a hot-button issue. Economist Larry Summers, a frequent policy adviser to Democrats, has denounced President Donald Trump’s corporate tax plan as a giveaway to the rich. Meanwhile, Kevin Hassett, the chairman of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, has claimed that the plan would increase average wages by anywhere from $4,000 to $20,000 a year. The …

After a year of bloodletting, India’s telecom industry is on the cusp of a well-deserved breather. But don’t look for the billionaires in this dogfight to declare a truce. Bharti Airtel Ltd., controlled by Sunil Mittal, is still struggling to hold on to price-sensitive customers in smaller cities and towns, whereas Vodafone Plc’s local unit, as well as Idea Cellular …

It was always going to be tough to get a handle on the initial sales success of the latest iPhone models. But some early signs are not encouraging for Apple Inc. The latest dour data came from AT&T Inc.. As part of an early disclosure of selected third-quarter financials, the company said the number of its mobile subscribers that had …