Opinion

  Inflation almost seems passe. The worry of the moment is now economic growth. That’s not unreasonable, as the latest update shows US gross domestic product declined at an annualised rate of 1.6% in the first quarter. With the huge exceptions of the Covid-scarred first two quarters of 2020, this was the weakest US growth since the spring of 2009. ...

The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries are in Madrid for the alliance’s most consequential summit in a generation. Nato appears to have overcome Turkish diplomatic blackmail to bring in two new members, Sweden and Finland. It must approve a new concept for transatlantic security amid Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine. Not least, the alliance — and the ...

Nike Inc.’s sales slump in China is capturing attention. But it’s the slowdown in North America that should worry investors. The world’s largest sportswear company reported a 20% fall in sales, excluding currency movements, from greater China in the three months to May 31, as Covid-related disruptions affected 60% of its business in the country. Even as Nike announced a ...

  The most important work-related debate of our time is stuck on repeat. Many senior executives continue to believe that working from home is tantamount to pretending to work, with Elon Musk saying out loud what his more restrained colleagues say in private, while many remote-work enthusiasts continue to believe that they have an absolute right to work where they ...

  Once upon a time, long before Donald Trump began fabricating narratives about his prowess and personal history, he wanted to be a movie producer. He admired old-school Hollywood producers such as Darryl F. Zanuck and Cecil B. DeMille, and considered attending film school at the University of Southern California. Trump’s father marched him into the family real estate business ...

One purpose of summitry in a time of war is the “family photo” — or rather, the harmonious and resolute unity it’s meant to showcase. So it was at last week’s summit of the European Union in Brussels and at this week’s gathering of the Group of 7 in the Bavarian Alps. So it is again as Nato leaders meet ...

When partnerships decide to sell their firms into the public markets through an initial public offering, it’s always about the money — even if it isn’t only about the money. Big Four auditor Ernst & Young LLP’s potential IPO of its consulting activities could trigger stock windfalls of as much as $8 million each for the consulting partners, according to ...

  Microsoft Corp said recently it would stop selling software that guesses a person’s mood by looking at their face. The reason: It could be discriminatory. Computer vision software, which is used in self-driving cars and facial recognition, has long had issues with errors that come at the expense of women and people of colour. Microsoft’s decision to halt the ...

  It seems that India’s central bank is no fan of “buy now, pay later.” But then, the regulator’s irritation with this newish fad in consumer finance is wholly understandable. “Get Credit in 90 seconds. Shop at Millions of Merchants. Pay Later,” says the website of LazyPay, which claims to have 60 million eligible users in India. Rival Uni, which ...

As the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) nations prepare to meet this week in Madrid, I’m reminded of a call I received shortly after I became supreme allied commander at the alliance in 2009. It was from Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and with the directness for which he was famous, he said: “Jim, I want you ...