Business & Economy
Rates, credit, trade and the quiet shifts inside companies that rarely make the front page.
Business
Central Banks Hold Rates as Growth Quietly Cools
Two major central banks left policy unchanged this week. The decision was easy. Explaining it to households paying more for everything is not.
Business
Small Firms Turn to Private Credit as Banks Pull Back
Loans are still available. They are just more expensive, more collateralised, and increasingly arranged outside the banking system.
More from the newsroom
Reporting from the other four sections.
Breaking
Port Shutdowns Test a Supply Chain Already at Its Limit
Three of the world's busiest container gateways are running at reduced capacity. Retailers say the buffer that absorbed past shocks is gone.
Breaking
Record October Heat Forces Cities Into Emergency Mode
A late-season heat dome has pushed temperatures past 38C in southern Europe and strained power grids from Spain to the Balkans.
Politics
Coalition Talks Collapse Over a Single Budget Rule
Eleven weeks of negotiations ended in ninety minutes. The sticking point was a debt brake that one party calls discipline and another calls a straitjacket.
Politics
Local Elections Become a Referendum on Incumbents
Mayors who managed the last four years of rising costs are discovering that competence is no longer enough.