Finance & economics

When maturity misleads
How higher interest rates will squeeze government budgets
Rising borrowing costs will hit taxpayers sooner than you think

Case closed
What a tycoon’s trial says about the rot in China’s financial system
Even the charges against Xiao Jianhua have not been made public

Free exchange
Are central banks in emerging markets now less of a slave to the Fed?
The third in our series on the central-bank pivot

Tougher than tariffs
America rethinks its strategy for taking on China’s economy
The focus is on whether Joe Biden will cut tariffs, but the real action is elsewhere

Bills, bills, bills
As interest rates climb and the economy cools, can companies pay their debts?
The risks might lie in shadowy private markets

Sweet deals
The allure of betting on mergers
A niche trading strategy is proving popular—and not just because of Elon Musk

Free exchange
The case for strong and silent central banks
The second in our series on the central-bank pivot

Buttonwood
What past market crashes have looked like
“Capitulation”, the last phase of a rout, can seem like a sort of mania

Creeping controls
The latest desperate attempt to prop up the Turkish lira
Recep Tayyip Erdogan will support anything but raising interest rates

CPI v PCE
Inflation in America soars to 8%. Or is it more like 6%?
The Fed’s preferred price gauge is more benign but also more obscure