An infection typically hits the vulnerable hardest — and in the new coronavirus outbreak this might apply economically too. For all the geographical distance between Europe and China, the euro zone has much to fear from its spread. The disease is another challenge to the export-driven model of the monetary union, which was already struggling with the global lurch towards ...

Last week’s shock resignation of Sajid Javid from his perch as UK chancellor of the exchequer is widely expected to facilitate a more profligate fiscal stance by the government. If the well-flagged increase in spending isn’t accompanied by higher taxes, bond yields could well head higher — especially if the Bank of England responds by adopting a more hawkish stance ...

On one side of the Atlantic, Tesla Inc. is capitalising on its soaring share price by selling $2 billion in stock so it can build more electric vehicles. On the other, French manufacturer Renault SA has been forced to cut its dividend by 70% and announce a big reduction in fixed costs so it can afford to do the same. ...