Being in the midst of a presidential campaign, it’s not surprising that we’re bombarded with proposals for massive new government programs that promise to transform major segments of American life. We’re going to overhaul the health care system with “Medicare for All” or something like it; or we’re going to make college “free” by eliminating tuitions at state schools; or ...

Euro zone finance minsters’ are pushing back against the negative rate regime of the European Central Bank (ECB) just as Christine Lagarde takes the reins from Mario Draghi. This is yet another rerun of the battle between the economically strongest (essentially northern) European nations and their weaker partners over who should shoulder the burden for maintaining stability in the euro ...

China’s small bank problem may be about to get a lot bigger. The slowing economy is exposing vulnerabilities built up by years of aggressive lending — and Beijing’s plans to preserve stability by merging weak lenders with each other could end up creating an even worse headache. The country’s hundreds of rural commercial and city lenders account for 27% of ...