The US labour market holds the key to the inflation outlook and the timing of the withdrawal of monetary policy accommodation. After all, it is pressure on resources that ultimately leads to persistent inflation. If workers are in chronic short supply, wage inflation climbs and that usually feeds through into prices. In contrast, supply disruptions typically get resolved with time. ...

China is the first noticeable crack in the Covid-19 recovery. The only major economy to show any growth at all last year, the country is now taking steps to ease monetary policy — just when the Federal Reserve is beginning to lay the groundwork to taper asset purchases. A significant slowing of its expansion might give other commercial powers pause ...

Japan, the country that gave us the word “karoshi” for “death from overwork,” is thinking about introducing an optional four-day workweek. The idea has also come up in Iceland, New Zealand, Spain and other places. It’s in fact so obvious, some wise people in the past would be gobsmacked to learn that we’re only just starting to talk about it ...