Bloomberg The home crowd that cheered on Russia’s run to the quarterfinals of the soccer World Cup may have been too preoccupied to do much shopping. Countries staging the world’s most-watched sporting event have a poor record when it comes to economic benefits off the pitch. In the three past World Cups, South Africa — the only host nation whose ...

When it comes to assessing the outlook for the US economy these days, the discussion usually starts with the bond market’s yield curve. At less than 30 basis points, the difference between two- and 10-year Treasury yields is the narrowest since 2007. This is classic late-cycle behaviour. The curve is signalling that the market thinks the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate increases, ...

Loss of credit insurance has played a part in several UK retail horror stories over the past decade. Investors in Debenhams Plc will be hoping the chain doesn’t follow the familiar narrative. One leading insurer, Euler Hermes, has reduced cover for suppliers, while rivals Atradius and Coface have refused to cover new shipments, the Sunday Times reported. Credit insurance protects ...