Let there be no doubt, the budget that the Italian government is about to pass is a remarkable act of economic self-harm. It could take a long time to repair. The measures defy the rules of prudent debt management in order to fund outlays that will do little to improve Italy’s competitiveness. Most important, they tell investors that the populists ...

As in any relationship between people, once a company loses the trust of its customers, there is a long, lingering period of suspicion that the company will do something egregious again. There is suspicion that greedy banks will take on too much risk again. That Chipotle will make customers sick again. And that Facebook Inc. is too creepy and irresponsible ...

Good news in a tumultuous week: Congress is poised to expand a program that will boost aid to poor countries, project American values overseas, balance China’s rising influence, and (not least) offer taxpayers a tidy profit. Here’s hoping that common sense prevails and the idea becomes reality. Last week, as part of a reauthorisation bill, the House passed a measure ...