Opinion

  European Central Bank President Mario Draghi is set to preside over a lot of nothing happening at policy meeting. This would be a missed opportunity. Bundesbank actions are worsening already-dangerous inefficiencies in European markets, and undermining the impact of the ECB’s bond purchases. Draghi has to demonstrate that his Governing Council is not controlled by the Germans. Financial creativity ...

  To govern India is to be constantly overwhelmed. So much needs to be done, and there’s so little to do it with. It’s hardly surprising that the Indian state is rarely ambitious. It seeks to manage, not to transform. One recent government initiative, less than a decade old, is by contrast epic in scope: the attempt to provide every ...

  If you were writing a pitch for a Hollywood series about the roiling investigation of the Trump campaign’s possible dealings with Russian operatives, you might describe it as ‘Billions’ meets ‘The Americans.’ This plot has already had some weird twists and turns, and we aren’t even at the end of Season One. It’s must-see television, for sure, but disheartening, ...

  Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co. and Renault-Nissan Group are the giants of the global industry, each selling about 10 million cars a year and together accounting for almost half of the passenger vehicles produced by major manufacturers worldwide. In India, though, they’re minnows, with a combined market share that’s not much above 10%. To make matters ...

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reason to be wary of ambitious reforms to India’s economy, given the fraught rollout of his plan to ban 500- and 1,000-rupee notes overnight. For his country to reach its true economic potential, however, he will need to do something about India’s ailing state banks. These institutions, which account for more than 70 percent ...

  US President Donald Trump issued a revised order restricting people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering United States. The new directive, which is effective from March 16, excludes Iraq and allows those having current US visa to travel freely. Like the previous order issued on January 27, the new one bans all refugees for 120 days, but Syrian refugees ...

  It didn’t take long for Malaysia to retaliate against North Korea for barring its citizens from leaving the country on Tuesday. Within hours, a security cordon had surrounded North Korea’s Malaysian embassy to prevent diplomatic staff from leaving. The response may not be legal under international law, but it’s certainly understandable. North Korea is not only accused of sponsoring ...

  A competitor’s loss doesn’t always translate into a win. Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. said that sales at established stores rose 5 percent in the most recent quarter from the year before as it picked up retail locations from now-defunct sporting goods competitors such as Sports Authority and Golfsmith. But the company also warned sales and earnings growth would slow ...

  Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has had its oversubscribed initial public offering and a big first-day pop. But if recent tech IPO history is any indication, longer-term investors are headed for a big disappointment. I’ve written before why I think Snap’s not worth its valuation ($23.8 billion at the IPO price of $17, $28.3 billion at the time ...

  In trademark EU style, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker outlined a vision for the bloc’s future recently by presenting five of them. While some will see an attempt to shape the agenda without taking responsibility, it sounded more like an impatient call for members to find the courage to rally around an actual strategic decision. By striking a neutral ...