Recent Posts

Amazon could probably conquer drugstores, too

Can Amazon do to the pharmacy business what it’s done to … well, everything else? Rumor has it they’re thinking about doing just that. They’ve reportedly created a new general manager position to look into such an expansion. In May, when those rumors started floating, Bloomberg’s own Max Nisen explained why they might find the business attractive: CVS Health Corp.’s ...

Read More »

Will China finally trim state-owned firms?

A little-noticed statement last week could portend the next big battle in China’s effort to control its debt. On August 2, the finance ministry issued directives that state-owned companies improve returns, control risks and make sure that “projects are financially viable before decisions are made.” That the government feels the need to spell out such obvious goals tells you the ...

Read More »

Free markets don’t really work for everything

My Bloomberg View colleague Tyler Cowen has a running series of blog posts bearing the title “Markets in Everything.” Plenty of other economists and writers have picked up the phrase, and with good reason—it’s evocative of a powerful idea that defined much of Western political economy in the later part of the 20th century. The idea is that markets—systems of ...

Read More »
Send this to a friend