Opinion

President Trump’s love-hate relationship with Britain has been on display in London. This ambivalence takes an especially bizarre turn in comments by the president and his supporters about British intelligence, historically America’s most important secret partner. After bashing prominent British figures on his way to London, Trump was on good behaviour, after a glittering state dinner the night before with ...

It’s hard to think of a more important question for the future of the euro than how committed Rome really is to the single currency. Italy is the third-biggest economy in the monetary union, and had the bloc’s largest public debt in absolute terms last year. The League and the Five Star Movement, which have run the country in coalition ...

In China, the most talked-about and coveted feature associated with Tesla Inc.’s new China-made Model 3 electric vehicle isn’t the car’s high performance, sleek design or semi-autonomous capability. It’s the license plate — which should tell advocates hoping to move the world’s drivers off fossil fuels something. The recent buzz is the result of a misunderstanding. A social media post ...

An old debate looks poised to make one of its frequent comebacks: How much, if at all, should the Federal Reserve concern itself with the value of the dollar? Oddly enough, it’s a question on which President Donald Trump and Senator Elizabeth Warren seem to agree. Warren proposed “aggressive intervention on behalf of American workers” and, in particular, “more actively ...

Sterling is in the dumps as the interminable delay to resolving Brexit is clearly holding back the UK economy. Perhaps the contest to choose a new leader for the ruling Conservative party, which started in earnest on Monday, can provide a change in direction for the currency. After all, the winner will take over as prime minister from the hapless ...

Finance chiefs from the biggest economies rang the alarm over global growth and said they’re prepared to do something about it. Too bad they’ve never been less relevant. Gone are the days when investors used to quake over ministers moving a comma or adding a period in key sentences. If their weekend statement was intended to shore up confidence or ...

Europe wanted a consumer technology giant to rival Silicon Valley. It’s getting one – along with California-style disregard for public investors. When Naspers Ltd. lists its technology investing unit in Amsterdam next month, the new company will have a market capitalisation that’s likely to top $100 billion, a valuation derived entirely from its 31 percent stake in Tencent Holdings Ltd. ...

One of the least-discussed but perhaps most consequential comments by special counsel Robert Mueller in his appearance before reporters was his blunt counterintelligence assessment: “Russian intelligence officers, who are part of the Russian military, launched a concerted attack on our political system.” The US military, backed by Mueller’s findings and those of the intelligence community, has responded by developing a ...

There’s one worrying aspect about the decision by Brussels to trigger a disciplinary process against Italy – and, no, it’s not the prospect of financial sanctions. It’s that the European Commission report, which states that Italy hasn’t made enough progress in cutting its debt, lands at a time of utter political chaos in Rome. The ruling League and Five Star ...

Like the offer of a week’s vacation in the sun amid a washout summer at home, some good news has arrived at last for Thomas Cook Plc’s shareholders: Fosun International Ltd. is interested in a potential bid for the beleaguered British travel company’s tour operating arm. An approach from the Chinese group, which already owns an 18% stake in Thomas ...