Why did the incomes of top earners rise so much after 1980? One reason was the boom in asset markets, which increased capital income from stocks and housing. But much of the gain was because the rich earned a lot more in salaries, bonuses and other labor income. To cite a well-known example, chief executive officers in the late …

  London / AFP World stocks mostly fell on Thursday as weak Chinese data reinforced fears over the world’s number two economy, while a spat between Britain’s Tesco and Dutch giant Unilever hit sentiment in Europe. In midday deals, London stocks was down 0.8 percent, Frankfurt declined 1.3 percent, Paris shed 1.4 percent and Amsterdam slid 1.3 percent in value. …

  Dubai / Reuters Positive third-quarter earnings from affiliates of Saudi Basic Industries supported Saudi Arabia’s stock index in early trade on Thursday but the rest of the Gulf was weak, following global shares lower. Yanbu National Petrochemical (Yansab) climbed 2.0 percent after it reported a third-quarter net profit of 607.6 million riyals ($162.1 million), more than double the year-earlier …