Central bank sleuths are on the case. What explains the ‘mystery,’ to use Janet Yellen’s word, behind low inflation and strong employment? It’s a question that requires global detective work, a point amplified by the Federal Reserve minutes this week when someone (who may have been Yellen) remarked on the global nature of the challenge. Inflation and wages remain stubbornly …

India’s slowdown—recently confirmed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which sharply reduced its estimate of growth during the current financial year—has set off a couple of energetic and oddly contradictory responses from the government in New Delhi. On the one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has aggressively defended his record, comparing it positively to the stagnation presided over by the …

Bloomberg The dollar strengthened and Treasuries fell after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen suggested gradual rate increases are warranted despite soft inflation. Gains in oil and copper drove a gauge of commodities to a six-month high. The S&P 500 Index rose less than 0.1 percent to a record, led by technology and media shares. Apple Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. …