Leaders

Capital pains
Why Democrats’ tax plans are such a mess

It is not just a fragile majority. It is also a lack of vision and leadership

Our NFT auction
The fun in non-fungible

Our auction reveals the promise of decentralised finance—and some big problems

Climate change
Why the COP26 climate summit will be both crucial and disappointing

Such global gatherings remain the best forum to force change

An October revolution
At last, a backlash against bad government in Eastern Europe

The EU’s battles with Poland and an opposition alliance in Hungary are overdue signs of change

Instant economics
A real-time revolution will up-end the practice of macroeconomics

The pandemic has hastened a shift towards novel data and fast analysis

Be swift, be bold
The geopolitics of money is shifting up a gear

If Western countries and firms want to stay in charge of global payments they have to modernise how they happen

The crime scene at the heart of Africa
Insurgency, secessionism and banditry threaten Nigeria

Africa’s biggest nation faces its biggest test since its civil war 50 years ago

Cheques and imbalance
Is the world economy entering a wage-price spiral?

Both wage growth and inflation are unusually high

Getting to zero
The first big energy shock of the green era

There are grave problems with the transition to clean energy power

The coronavirus
Millions of lives depend on how the pandemic ends

The world can see the end of the covid-19 emergency, but some daunting tasks lie ahead

Building back best
Latin America could become an alternative to China

But only if the protectionist policies of the region’s politicians don’t get in the way