Lots of economic policy debates end up going like this: First, one economist or policy wonk will propose a government intervention — a minimum wage increase, a tax on sugar or subsidies for solar electricity. Another person, usually someone of a more free-market bent, will demand to know exactly which market failure justifies the intervention. A market failure, in ...

  DUBAI / Reuters Egypt’s stock market rose strongly on Tuesday but foreign funds were net sellers for a second time since the Egyptian pound was floated on Nov. 3. Gulf markets diverged with Saudi petrochemical shares hit by weak oil prices. The Egyptian blue chip index added 1.8 percent to 13,015 points, a fresh all-time closing high, but trading ...

  Bloomberg Asian stocks rose as gains in a gauge of health-care shares offset declines in energy companies after oil sank. Japan equities fell as as a stronger yen dimmed prospects for exporters. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained 0.2% as of 4:40 p.m. in Hong Kong as 7 of 11 industry groups rose. The measure’s advance has been muted ...

  Bloomberg VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Co., the Vietnam carrier known for its bikini-clad flight attendants, expects profit to surge 30 percent this year on rising passengers as it prepares for its Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange listing debut in February. A total of 23 overseas investors bought 66.5 million shares — equivalent to about 14 percent of VietJet ...

  Bloomberg British Airways owner IAG SA’s passenger count jumped 14 percent to 100.7 million last year, propelling it past Air France-KLM Group by that measure for the first time. Customer numbers were boosted by a full year of figures from Ireland’s Aer Lingus, which IAG purchased in 2015, together with gains at Spanish arm Iberia and the Vueling discount ...

  AP Frontier Airlines says its chief operating officer (COO) left the company, the second high-level departure in less than a month at the budget airline. A Frontier spokesman confirmed that Bill Meehan stepped down last week and was replaced temporarily by Jim Nides, the company’s vice president of flight operations. Meehan joined Frontier in 2014 after being CEO of ...

  DOHA / Reuters Saudi Arabia appointed a new chairman of Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) by royal decree in a management shake-up. Ghassan bin Abdulrahman Al Shabal was appointed chairman of the board of directors of the state-owned airline, said Saudi state news agency (SPA). Shabal will replace Sulaiman Al Hamdan, according to the airline’s website. SPA said representatives of ...

  Bloomberg For those who insist that traveling is all about the journey, we say this: It really depends on which carrier you’re flying. Aside from variations in cabins and service quality, there’s the major concern of how likely you are to get delayed. Fly on the wrong airline and your odds of a delay are as high as 55 ...

  Bloomberg China will face more frequent liquidity shocks this year, according to the manager of the nation’s biggest money-market fund, which plans to hold extra cash to protect against the risk of rising redemptions. The government’s efforts to curb risk in the financial system and support the sliding yuan are likely to ‘over-stretch a rope that’s already tight,’ said ...

  ISTANBUL / AP Turkey’s currency has weakened to an all-time low against the dollar as parliament debates constitutional amendments that would hand the president sweeping executive powers and, critics say, limit checks and balances. The value of the Turkish lira has dropped nearly seven percent against the dollar since the start of the year. On Tuesday, it was trading ...