Could Germans’ cherished right to drive as fast as they like on the Autobahn soon be outlawed? With the country’s center-left Social Democrats now leading the polls ahead of this month’s federal election, we shouldn’t rule it out: If voted in, they promise to limit motorway speeds to a maximum of 130 km per hour (81 miles per hour). Possible ...

If you can tear yourself away from the disappointing US jobs numbers and what that means for the Federal Reserve’s prospective reduction in stimulus, signals from China offer an equally sobering view of the global recovery. Economists are wringing their hands over employment growth in August, which was weaker than even the most pessimistic estimate. Tapering of the Fed’s quantitative ...

Bloomberg Toshiba Corp said it won’t be able to meet demand for power-regulating chips for another year and, in certain cases, through the end of 2022, offering a fresh warning for makers of cars, consumer electronics and industrial machines struggling with component shortages. “The supply of chips will remain very tight until at least September next year,” said Takeshi Kamebuchi, ...