Avoiding the devastating consequences of global warming means taking steps that will incur costs now. Those costs can be painful, as illustrated vividly by the social unrest in France, triggered in part by President Emmanuel Macron’s since-rescinded fuel tax. For some, such as the New York Times’s Bret Stephens, the lesson is clear: Forget reducing carbon dioxide emissions, because people ...

In my medicine cabinet, I have a jar of petroleum jelly from Walgreens that looks like the iconic Vaseline container. You probably also own store-brand versions of familiar items — also called generics or “private label” products. The pull tends to be lower cost, but Walmart, Macy’s and other big retailers have been seeking to create private-label products with a ...

Bloomberg The Nikkei 225 Stock Average slid into a bear market, as a global equity rout continued unabated in the last week of the year, with renewed turmoil in Washington rattling investors. The yen and Japanese bonds rose. The Japanese benchmark fell 5 percent on Tuesday, widening its drop to 21 percent from its October 2 peak, taking its cue ...