How central banks weigh the risk of inflation against the risk of slowing growth
Interest-rate decisions are a judgement about which mistake would be more costly. Here is how policymakers frame that choice.
Economy
Growth, inflation, employment, monetary and fiscal policy, and the global economic outlook.
When countries cannot pay: how sovereign debt restructurings work
There is no bankruptcy court for nations. Debt crises are instead resolved through slow, often painful negotiations shaped by contract terms, creditor diversity and the threat of lost market access.
Reading the bond market: what the yield curve does and does not tell investors
The gap between short- and long-term interest rates is one of the most watched signals in finance. It is also one of the most misunderstood.
How compounding works for savers and against borrowers, often in the same household
Interest that earns interest is the most powerful force in personal finance. It rewards patience on one side of the balance sheet and punishes delay on the other.
The case for boring infrastructure
Central bank independence is worth defending, even when it is inconvenient
How health systems decide which treatments to pay for when budgets are finite
Latest in Economy
Podcast
The Briefing: a sample episode
Our daily conversation about the stories shaping the world economy. This is a demonstration episode.
Video
Video: why economies move in cycles
Expansions and slowdowns follow one another. A visual primer on the forces that drive the rhythm.
Podcast
The Briefing: why central banks talk so much
Forward guidance, explained in a short conversation. This is a demonstration episode.
Explainer
How to read a national budget without getting lost
Government budgets run to hundreds of pages. A few questions cut through to what actually matters.
Analysis
Why productivity growth, the root of rising living standards, is so hard to measure
Over the long run, almost nothing matters more for prosperity than producing more from the same effort. Yet statisticians struggle to capture what is actually being produced.
Analysis
What makes a currency strong — and why a strong currency is not always good news
Exchange rates reflect interest rates, trade and confidence. A rising currency helps some parts of an economy and hurts others.
Analysis
Why house prices are so sensitive to interest rates, and why the effect is uneven
For most buyers, the price of a home is really the price of a loan. That link explains why property markets react sharply when borrowing costs change.
Explainer
Following the money: a guide to how global payment systems actually settle
Tapping a card or sending money abroad feels instantaneous. Behind it sits a layered architecture of messages, ledgers and central bank accounts that determines when a payment is truly final.
Opinion
An emergency fund is unglamorous, and it is the foundation everything else depends on
Chasing returns before building a cash buffer leaves households exposed to the one risk they can least afford: being forced to sell or borrow at the worst moment.
Analysis
Why public money for new stadiums divides economists and city leaders
Arenas are often pitched as engines of local growth. Many economists remain sceptical, and the reasons say much about how cities should judge large projects.
Explainer
Who really pays a tariff? How import duties pass through to prices
A tariff is collected at the border, but its cost is shared among foreign exporters, domestic importers, retailers and consumers. How it divides depends on market power and the time horizon.
Real Estate
Renting versus buying: the trade-offs that simple calculators leave out
The decision is often framed as throwing money away on rent versus building wealth through ownership. The reality depends on time horizons, flexibility and risk.
