Stock markets started the year on a strong note, and everyone seems to be asking the same question: How much more can high-risk assets appreciate? The dollar may provide the answer. The US currency’s weakness throughout 2017 provided much support for the domestic economy, arguably more than even the anticipation of tax cuts that boosted equities. It has also been ...

Suppose you have two loans. The first is a student loan of $40,000 with an interest rate of 6 percent, and the second is a credit-card balance of $12,000 with an interest rate of 11 percent. You find that at the end of each month, you have about $1,000 left over, and you want to use it to pay down ...

Ever since it took over from national authorities as the euro zone’s supervisor-in-chief, the European Central Bank (ECB) has prided itself on taking a tough stance when it comes to bad loans. But has the ECB neglected other risks in the financial sector? This is the thesis of a curious paper published by the Bank of Italy at the end of ...