French customs officials impounding a Russian billionaire Igor Sechin’s superyacht on the Cote D’Azur made for sensational headlines, but it was just one of the moves against a string of oligarchs by the US, Europe and UK. It is easy to mistake these actions simply as punishment. But hitting individual Russian billionaires with sanctions isn’t some mindless act of revenge ...

  Americans are understandably grumpy about 2022 amid buffeting by surging inflation, supply-chain disruptions, labor shortages and Covid-19. They might or might not feel relieved to learn that the country’s business leaders are more upbeat than ever. The Business Roundtable, the lobby of about 200 chief executives of major US companies, said its quarterly Economic Outlook Index reached an all-time ...

  Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine — cutting off his own nation of nearly 150 million and torpedoing its economy in pursuit of a delusion — marks the start of a final act for Russia’s president. Not yet the end. Swept up by the charm of Ukraine’s comedian-turned-president, the bravery of the country’s defenders and the blunders of Russia’s ...