Opinion

  It’s been a year since a sudden, 1.9 percent decline in the Chinese yuan rattled global markets and prompted fears of a global currency war. China has mostly soothed nerves by moderating the renminbi’s swoon since then. But what should really put minds to rest is the knowledge that no one — not even China, which arguably did power ...

  Financial markets are no longer just a barometer. Now they can cause storms. We can see two reasons that this happened: Active investors switched to autopilot, and economic regulators became followers rather than leaders. We can also see two outcomes: perverting the function of markets and creating new uncertainties in the economy. The decision by investors to shift from ...

  It’s going to be two months since the June 23 EU referendum and the mounting impact of a plunging pound. A recent report says that the prices of goods – from cars and computers to some foods and property – are increasing. And it is the consumers who are bearing the brunt of the rising costs. The apparent fear ...

  It was widely observed that Brexit was driven by anti-immigrant sentiment. A new Ipsos poll confirms that about half of Brits have a negative view of immigration, while only 35 percent view it positively. Much concern has focused upon European Union citizens currently residing in the U.K (they’ll certainly be grandfathered, as will U.K. citizens living in the EU), ...

  The world’s great cities could hold the key to the prosperity of the human race. Yet a comprehensive new study points to a worrying trend: The water they need to grow is getting more expensive, because they’re failing to protect the nature that purifies it. Cities are amazing engines of productivity. As the hubs of our modern societies, they ...

  Many politicians and commentators are calling for a big burst of spending on infrastructure. On his blog, my esteemed Bloomberg View colleague Tyler Cowen raises an interesting question: What is the opportunity cost of government spending — that is, what is the value of the other uses to which the money and resources could be put? To answer this ...

  Nevada, which calls itself the “Battle Born State,” actually was born prematurely because of Republicans’ anxiety. Now, 152 years later, it again is a subject of their anxiety. Entering 1864, Abraham Lincoln and his party were intensely, and reasonably, in doubt about his re-election. So, scrambling for every electorate vote, Republicans decided to conjure three from thin air — ...

  As long as there are eager buyers of bridges, there will be willing sellers. Oil has rallied 8 percent over the past week or so on the pleasingly oxymoronic notion of a rekindled freeze. The big move came on Thursday when Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, Khalid Al-Falih, indicated the OPEC kingpin was open to taking action to stabilize prices. ...

  China’s Anbang Insurance Group is stretching the definition of time with its planned acquisition of U.S. insurer Fidelity & Guaranty Life. It’s been more than 10 weeks since the Beijing-based company withdrew its approval request with the New York Department of Financial Services for its $1.6 billion acquisition of the life insurer, saying it planned to refile “in the ...

  UAE has bettered its global position in innovation. The country ranked first among Arab countries and 41st worldwide in terms of overall performance on 2016 Global Innovation Index, which was announced at the UN headquarters in Geneva. It is up from second in the Arab World and 47th globally in 2015. The Innovation has taken the centre stage as ...