The term “butterfly effect” was coined to describe how a hurricane’s intensity could be influenced by the fluttering of a distant butterfly’s wings. In the wake of the recent devastation by Harvey and Irma, we may have to contend with the widespread reverse impact that hurricanes could have on global financial markets. The human tragedy of lost lives and the …

Whole Foods is providing the world with a very interesting economics lesson. Immediately after Amazon bought the upscale grocery store chain, it cut prices substantially for many items on the shelves. As a result, sales have boomed by around 25 percent. Was the price cut a good move? Actually, the real lesson might be how little economics has to say. …

Last week was relatively eventful for bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that has been attracting growing attention from investors, speculators and regulators. Considerable price volatility was accentuated by reactions to commentary (some constructive and some less so) about a “disruptive technology” that responds to specific client needs, is here to stay, and will likely gain greater systemic influence, but is still early …