Opinion

“Supply” is a dirty word in economic policy discussions. That needs to change. Over the past few decades, the word “supply” has come to be associated with pro-market, anti-government policy. That has earned it the scorn of many among the growing number of intellectuals, activists and policymakers who worry about rising inequality and other economic ills that laissez-faire thinkers overlook. ...

What’s Kobe Steel Ltd. waiting for? Executives at the Japanese metal manufacturer accused of falsifying safety data will decide whether to resign only after an independent investigation wraps up at year-end, according to a Reuters report on Monday, citing people familiar with the situation. Come on, now. If you have to ask, you probably already know the answer. And if ...

Whoa, what’s in the water lately? Walt Disney Co. is said to have held talks to buy the majority of 21st Century Fox Inc. The negotiations are currently dead, but to give a sense of how big this partial acquisition could have been, Fox in its entirety has a market value of $50 billion. The size is probably less jarring ...

It will be Powell’s Fed. Assuming he’s confirmed by the Senate, Jerome (‘Jay’) Powell will become the 16th chairman of the Federal Reserve Board in early 2018. Almost by definition, he instantly becomes the most important economic policy-maker in the world. But who is he? Outside economic circles, hardly anyone knows. So let’s catch up. Powell would be the first ...

Forget the lending book. Dismiss the wealth-management aspirations. It’s DBS Group Holdings Ltd.’s embrace of technology that could be the next big driver of shareholder returns at Southeast Asia’s biggest lender. DBS’s announcement that it now has the world’s largest application programming interface platform for banking, with users including McDonald Corp., may appear at first like marketing gimmickry. Being able ...

There are many unanswered questions about the man who shot and killed at least 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday. In the days ahead, more facts will emerge. But the most common question — could anything have been done to stop him? — will also be the most difficult to answer, the most hotly debated, ...

Donald Trump’s grand tour of Asia will attract a lot of attention this week, but in one respect the fuss will be misleading. The president will be no more than a bystander when the region’s leaders make a very big decision — whether to go ahead with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a deal that the US designed and subsequently abandoned. ...

Corruption, black money, terrorism, fake currency — Prime Minister Narendra Modi resolved to eliminate all in one stroke when he announced India’s biggest-ever cash ban on November 8 last year. However, the short term costs of his move are outweighing the benefits. He invalidated 86 percent of currency in circulation, saying the move was essential to combat graft and terrorism, ...

Instead of bringing clarity, an impressive price surge last week accentuated the differences within the financial industry about the future of the bitcoins. Opinions range from those asserting that we are witnessing the birth and maturation of a new global currency to those who argue that the phenomenon is a ‘fraud,’ with a large middle either reserving judgment or arguing ...

Investors have heard repeatedly in recent weeks that the period of easing by the world’s major central banks is about over. According to this view, interest-rate hikes that the Federal Reserve has already implemented will be followed by the end of bond purchases by the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan, and by multiple rate increases by the ...