The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance

Top stories

Finance & economics

Janet Yellen will lead Joe Biden’s Treasury. What does she stand for?

Both progressives and conservatives can find what to like about the former chair of the Fed

Related

From the archive: Janet Yellen on what it takes to manage the world’s biggest economy

United States

Joe Biden will embrace allies—and enlist them to take on China

The president-elect opts for dependability, loyalty and like-mindedness in his national-security picks

Science & technology

Success for a third—and perhaps most important—covid-19 vaccine

The AstraZeneca-Oxford jab is likely to be widely used around the world

Middle East & Africa

Israel and Saudi Arabia send a clear signal to Iran—and Joe Biden

The meaning of a surprising meeting

Graphic detail

Rich renters are fleeing America’s cities

The prices of posh properties are falling, but cheaper ones are still in demand

Asia

Banyan: An Indo-Pacific club builds heft

The “Quad” of America, Australia, India and Japan is not an alliance, but not useless either

Prospero

Douglas Stuart’s “Shuggie Bain” wins the Booker Prize

He is the second Scot to win the award

More on the US presidential transition

Leaders

The China strategy America needs

President Joe Biden should aim to strike a grand bargain with America’s democratic allies

Podcasts

From the archive: Janet Yellen on what it takes to manage the world’s biggest economy

This week we speak to Janet Yellen, former chair of the Federal Reserve

United States

Barack Obama’s new memoir will give his former deputy little comfort

United States

Charles Koch offers partial regrets for his partisan ways

Weekly edition

The China strategy America needs

November 21st 2020
Read full edition

Readers’ favourites

Graphic detail

Where are the world’s most expensive cities?

Paris and Zurich rejoin Hong Kong at the top of the latest ranking

Leaders

Many countries need debt relief

But how and from whom?

Business

Why commercial ties between Taiwan and China are beginning to fray

The relationship that helped build China’s economy faces new challenges

Graphic detail

How new swing techniques are revolutionising golf

A bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau has discovered how to clobber the ball without sacrificing loft

Podcasts

Sound reasoning on current affairs, business and finance, science and technology, and global issues.

Listen now

In context: Analysis and predictions for 2021

The World Ahead

Ten trends to watch in the coming year

A letter from Tom Standage, editor of “The World in 2021”

The World Ahead

New technological behaviours will outlast the pandemic

Italian grannies have discovered online shopping

The World Ahead

The world could turn a corner on climate change

The World Ahead

The pandemic showed up humanity’s vulnerability

Special report: Asset Management

The money doctors

The asset-management industry is at last sorting the quacks from the true specialists, argues John O’Sullivan

Passive attack

How index investing is reshaping the asset-management industry

Double trouble

The trouble with delegating choices about what to invest in

Stewards’ inquiry

If investors buy stocks in an index, who watches managers?

Taking back control

Privates are what listed assets are not—niche, illiquid and fee-rich

Read full report

The world at your fingertips.

Subscribe for unlimited access to world-leading reporting and analysis.

Subscriber-only benefits

  • Full access to all Economist digital products
  • Read and listen offline on iOS and Android
  • Subscribers-only daily briefing newsletter
  • The weekly edition, in print, digital and audio
View subscription options