The brilliant thing about technology is how it tends to become smaller (and cheaper) over time. One glaring exception has been the most expensive piece of kit many of us buy: the automobile. Due to the popularity of bulbous, gizmo-laden SUVs and pickup trucks — some driven no further than a supermarket parking lot — modern vehicles have piled on ...

  Central bankers are no longer patient when it comes to inflation. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made that clear at last week’s meeting when he basically confirmed a March interest-rate hike. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde refused to repeat previously-made comments that a rate hike this year was “very unlikely,” and instead indicated there was “general concern” among ...

  India has surprised the payments world by announcing that its central bank will issue a digital currency as early as the coming financial year, a crucial decision that most other major economies are refusing to make in a hurry. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, an electronic representation of India’s legal tender will give a big boost to its ...