The beatings for General Electric Co. have finally eased off during the Thanksgiving holiday lull, at least in terms of the credit market. There might be more to it than just an absence of market activity as traders tuck into their turkey. The US industrial giant has been through the wringer ever since its third-quarter results and the subsequent loss ...

France and Germany have agreed on an idea for improving euro-zone budget policy, and other governments have said they can support it. The plan falls short of what’s needed, but it’s progress nonetheless. The greatest weakness of the euro zone is that it lacks a way to support member states that fall into recession: Monetary policy isn’t enough, because the ...

India’s finance industry is letting a good crisis go to waste by not learning from it. The sudden $12.8 billion bankruptcy of infrastructure lender IL&FS Group, currently sequestered under a government-blessed, out-of-court process, underscores India’s lack of preparedness to handle a big shift in lending in recent years — away from banks. Before I illustrate that challenge with a little ...