Karl Marx defined the proletariat as labourers “unencumbered by any means of production” who were increasingly impoverished by the rise of machines. In that classic form, Marx’s favourite class doesn’t really exist in the rich world today, except in the so-called gig economy. Reports from the International Labour Organization and the JPMorgan Chase Institute describe the plight of different kinds ...

Better late than never. Tesco Plc has finally revealed Jack’s, its new store format to take on the might of the German discounters, Aldi and Lidl. Tesco should have made this move when the no-frills supermarkets started winning significant market share a few years ago. And cut-price chain B&M European Value Retail SA is expanding aggressively, and increasing its food ...

While flying last week to a conference in Reykjavík, it dawned on me that I knew almost nothing about Iceland. What little understanding I had was based on Michael Lewis’ epic tale of the nation’s financial collapse in Vanity Fair magazine entitled, “Wall Street on the Tundra.” His 10,000-word missive is a Norse saga of its own. Other Icelandic literature ...