In the first two columns in this series, I asked what the pandemic meant for short-term fiscal policy and, looking farther ahead, for measures to accommodate structural shifts in our economies. This time I’ll ask what it means for monetary policy — and the starting point is to look back at a key moment in history. March 4 is the ...

A booming stock market at a time of pandemic recession and widening inequality is an unfortunate combination, so the tax raid on the Hong Kong exchange shouldn’t be a surprise. Soaking well-to-do finance types to help pay for consumption handouts sends a convenient populist message. It may also serve to deflect attention from the government’s failure to tackle the biggest ...

Looking at the way the world’s carbon emissions have risen in recent decades, it’s tempting to believe that increasing pollution is an ineluctable law of nature. That’s by no means a heretical view. Vaclav Smil, the Czech-Canadian energy analyst revered by Bill Gates, has often pointed to the growth in pollution since the 1980s as evidence that a transition to ...

London’s regime for special purpose acquisition companies serves no one well. Its approach to investor protection is so crude as to have prevented the SPAC market from taking off at all. As the UK scrambles to bolster its post-Brexit finance industry, it should not dismiss the US model unless it can devise something better. SPACs are publicly traded cash shells ...

Bloomberg China still has major safety concerns about Boeing Co’s 737 Max, the deputy head of the country’s aviation regulator said on Monday when asked if it was considering following others in allowing the plane to fly again. Once issues have been fully addressed, China will conduct a final review of the aircraft, Dong Zhiyi said at a briefing in ...

Bloomberg Thai Airways International Pcl is seeking a capital infusion of as much as 50 billion baht ($1.65 billion) under a debt restructuring plan set to be submitted to a bankruptcy court to keep the flag carrier operational, according to people familiar with the matter. The fund may be raised through equity, loans or convertible securities, said the people, who ...

Bloomberg London’s main financial district expects demand for stores from workers and visitors to increase even as retailers go bust because more consumers are shopping online. The City of London’s local government expects investors to add 122,500 square metres (1.3 million square feet) of retail space in the district over the coming 15 years, according to a proposed development plan. ...

Bloomberg Walmart Inc has lured a pair of senior Goldman Sachs bankers to help lead a new fintech startup as the retail giant muscles into the banking business. Omer Ismail, the head of Goldman’s consumer bank, is making a surprise exit to the fintech, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The world’s largest retailer made a splash last ...

Bloomberg London’s Heathrow airport will charge departing passengers an extra 8.90 pounds ($12.40) in an effort to claw back costs as the coronavirus crisis depresses air travel. The tariff is permitted by the UK’s aviation regulator under a protocol that allows the hub to cover costs for utilities, baggage and check-in services. Heathrow makes “zero profit” from such activities, with ...

Bloomberg Myanmar saw its deadliest day since the February 1 coup, with the United Nations saying at least 18 protesters were killed in a stark escalation of violence to quell persistent demonstrations against military rule. More than 30 other people were wounded when soldiers and police fired live ammunition into crowds in six cities across Myanmar, UN Human Rights Office ...