As the European Union’s leaders gather in Brussels to take stock of the bloc’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the feel-good narrative is gathering steam. The shambolic start to vaccine distribution is a distant memory, with about half the EU’s population having received at least one dose. Cafes, restaurants and retailers are filling up again in Paris, Berlin and Rome ...

How will we know if inflation is making a comeback? Most economists are focused on the price of commodities, wages, and other basic goods and services. But history suggests they might want to keep an eye on a related phenomenon that often escapes notice: so-called “shrinkflation.” This practice became increasingly common in the 1960s and 1970s, when manufacturers confronting runaway ...

A company’s reputation is to all intents largely perception — but to get it to a better place, the reality has to be somewhat altered. No major bank’s reputation this year has suffered more this year than Credit Suisse Group AG. Incoming chair Antonio Horta-Osorio is tasked with restoring the Swiss institution to its former poise. But he doesn’t actually ...