Almost 10 years after the Great Recession ended, the growing threat of a new economic slowdown raises a troubling question: When the next recession strikes, what can the world’s central banks do? With interest rates low and their balance sheets still loaded with assets bought to fight the 2008 crisis, do they have the tools to respond? This column is ...

Bloomberg US equities were little changed as investors assessed corporate earnings and economic data. Treasuries joined a global rally in sovereign bonds and the dollar extended its rally to a six-week high. The S&P 500 Index fluctuated between small losses and gains after closing at a record. AT&T Inc and Caterpillar Inc fell after reporting first-quarter results, while Boeing Co ...

Bloomberg India’s benchmark stock index advanced for the first time in four days as earnings optimism outweighed concerns that Asia’s third-biggest economy may be crimped by higher oil prices. The S&P BSE Sensex climbed 1.3 percent to 39,054.68 in Mumbai, its steepest daily gain in more than six weeks. The NSE Nifty 50 Index rose by the same magnitude, its ...