The economy isn’t going to bounce back quickly on its own from the coronavirus pandemic. State reopenings, premature or not, will restore a modicum of economic activity, but it won’t be enough to put many local businesses in the black. If the virus comes roaring back in states that reopen, it will cause a wave of fear that will depress ...

Walmart Inc, one of the few big winners during the coronavirus crisis, just had a blowout quarter. The knock-on positive effects may last beyond the pandemic. Bulk buying of toilet paper, bleach and hand sanitiser helped the world’s biggest retailer increase US same-store sales (excluding fuel) by a better-than-expected 10% in the three months ended on May 1. That marked ...

After the world has finally worked its way beyond the Covid-19 crisis, it may have to confront a danger that almost everybody has forgotten: higher inflation. At the moment, it’s the last thing investors and governments are worried about, which is exactly what makes the threat so plausible. It has been decades since governments have lost sleep over high inflation. ...