Bloomberg The financial gearing of Asia Pacific’s largest companies has risen for a second year following a period of deleveraging, but market participants don’t see cause for alarm. The median total debt-to-total equity for non-financial companies in the MSCI Asia Pacific Index reached about 44% in the first nine months of 2019. That is slightly higher than the 41% seen ...

It was a cheering Christmas week to repeat the bromide, “love thy neighbour.” But the unfortunate truth about America these days is that many of us seem to hate our neighbours. We don’t understand how other people can oppose the values we cherish most. Their behaviour is infuriating and, it often seems, unforgivable. How do we escape this bitter impasse? ...

Until the financial crisis of 2008, government bonds were the traditional haven for investors. More than a decade on, their nature has fundamentally changed. In any future crisis, sovereign debt will be a propagator of risk rather than a refuge. Government debt has reached levels not seen outside of major wars. In advanced economies, it has risen to more than ...