French President Emmanuel Macron’s first trip to Berlin was a lovefest: If anyone thought German Chancellor Angela Merkel would push back on Macron’s plans to reform the European Union, they were disappointed. It’s not clear, however, if the young and impatient Macron is ready for a slow, clumsy but ultimately useful Merkel-style compromise, which appears to be in the cards. …

Bill Winters is trying, but it won’t be easy for the Standard Chartered Plc CEO to rebuild a wealth-management franchise that became an object of archaeological curiosity on his predecessor Peter Sands’s eight-year watch. It’s not clear if it’s worth the effort. The challenge starts at the top, with acquiring clients’ wealth, and gets tougher in the middle and at …

There was an interesting and slightly scary article in the Wall Street Journal recently, in which reporter Andrea Fuller tries to find out what fees she’s paying to the financial adviser who manages her money. At long last, after a torturous experience with the company, she finally manages to find out how much she’s paying — 1.4 percent of assets …