Latest blog posts

  • Graphic detail

    Daily chart

    Global business barometer

    May 17th 2012, 17:00 by The Economist online

    American business sentiment turns bullish

    GLOBAL business sentiment remains bearish but has improved since January, according to an Economist/FT survey of over 1,500 senior executives, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The balance of respondents who think the world economy will pick up against those who expect it to worsen rose from minus 28 percentage points to minus 5. In North America more executives are bullish than bearish for the first time in a year. In eastern Europe however, confidence has slumped. On jobs, the balance of firms expecting to hire over the next year has increased in all regions, but employment prospects in Europe are still gloomy.

    Continue reading "Global business barometer" »

  • Schumpeter

    Special report: international banking

    Banking goes digital

    May 17th 2012, 16:46 by The Economist online

    Our correspondents discuss how new technologies will affect the future of retail banking

    Continue reading "Banking goes digital" »

  • Newsbook

    Greece and the euro

    A very fragile situation

    May 17th 2012, 16:27 by The Economist online

    AS Greece faces a second election and Spain's banking crisis worsens, our correspondents discuss the uncertain future of the euro zone

    View full post »

  • Newsbook

    The euro

    Covering the crisis

    May 17th 2012, 16:21 by The Economist

    The euro-zone crisis, as told through Economist covers

    IN MAY 2010 The Economist put Europe's debt crisis on its cover for the first time, accompanied by a decent filmic pun and an image of the Parthenon. Since then, the continent's financial woes have kept our cover designer busy conjuring up various ways to depict doom and despair. From waterfalls to plugholes to sieves, here are 15 of the best.

    View full post »

  • Newsbook

    The Economist

    Digital highlights, May 19th 2012

    May 17th 2012, 16:03 by The Economist online

    A charmed life - TO COME
    At last week’s annual meeting of the Giving Pledge in Santa Barbara, a group of America’s richest individuals discussed giving half of their wealth to philanthropic causes. We sat down with Warren Buffett and Elon Musk, two attendees, to discuss why they give

    Rankous report - TO COME
    Our correspondent sends a dispatch from Rankous, a small town north-west of Damascus. Houses have been burned and most people, apart from a few locals and men from the Free Syrian Army, have fled since Bashar Assad’s regime shelled the town earlier this year

    School’s out
    The appearance of interns around the office is a sure sign that summer has arrived.

    Continue reading "Digital highlights, May 19th 2012" »

  • Buttonwood's notebook

    US election

    Betting on Barack

    May 17th 2012, 15:26 by Buttonwood

    FOLLOWING the success of the Iowa electronic markets in picking Mitt Romney as the presidential nominee (highlighted in this January post), it seems worth seeing what they think about the November election. Although the opinion polls are close, gamblers clearly think the President will be re-elected. Mind you, the 60-40 margin is well below the 80% confidence level they had in Romney four months ago. And if a euro-zone collapse undermines the US economy, the gamblers could well change their minds.

    View full post »

  • Democracy in America

    Anti-incumbency

    The bipartisan backlash

    May 17th 2012, 14:36 by E.G. | EL PASO

    REPUBLICANS, we are told, respect authority and expect conformity. On the one hand, that spurs them to greater discipline than Democrats. "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican," Ronald Reagan said, in what has been dubbed the 11th commandment. On the other hand, people who expect conformity often punish those who deviate. That's why we've seen so many high-profile primary fights on the right this year, with moderate incumbents like Dick Lugar being challenged by tea-party voters who are willing to bin decades of experience in the name of ideological purity. 

    Continue reading "The bipartisan backlash" »

  • Graphic detail

    Fantasy cartography

    Redrawing the map of Europe

    May 17th 2012, 13:50 by The Economist online

    FROM our archives, we invite you to imagine a world in which countries could move as easily as people. View our suggestions for a rearranged Europe in this videographic, which was originally published on May 20th 2010.

    View full post »

  • Newsbook

    Remembering Peter David

    What he wrote

    May 17th 2012, 13:08 by The Economist online

    DURING his 28 years at The Economist Peter wrote on everything. His colleagues thought of him as a Middle East specialist above all, but he also wrote columns on British and in American politics, as well as stories and leaders on science and business. The 14 special reports he wrote ranged from Islam to banking and from Canada to South Africa. They included one on universities, which seems appropriate since he might have been mistaken for one.

    Here, in our view, are some of the best things he wrote.

    Peter on the opposition, from Newt Gingrich and others, to the proposed Cordoba centre in New York, from August 2010:

    Continue reading "What he wrote" »

  • Newsbook

    From the archive: January 12th 1991

    Don't save this face

    May 17th 2012, 10:17 by The Economist

    BENJAMIN FRANKLIN said there never was a good war, or a bad peace. He was half right. Nobody can be glad that, after the failure in Geneva, the stalemate in the Gulf seems this week to be slipping miserably into war. The result of all wars is men killed, maimed or made insane by horror. This time the horrors may include ballistic missiles, chemical weapons, even—if Iraq is foolish enough to lash out at Israel—nuclear ones too. Can any cause be great enough to justify the slaughter?

    The answer is Yes. There is no good war, but sometimes a bad peace can be worse than war itself. A peace that left Saddam Hussein unchallenged in Kuwait would be trebly bad.

    Continue reading "Don't save this face" »

  • Schumpeter
    Business and management

    In this blog, our Schumpeter columnist and his colleagues provide commentary and analysis on the topics of business, finance and management. The blog takes its name from Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian-American economist who likened capitalism to a "perennial gale of creative destruction"

    Follow Schumpeter @EconBizFin RSS feed
  • Gulliver
    Business travel

    In this blog, our correspondents inform and entertain business travellers with news, views and reviews that help them make the most of life on the road. Sign up for our weekly "Gulliver's best" newsletter to have the blog's highlights delivered to your inbox »

    Follow Gulliver @EconBizTravel RSS feed
  • Banyan
    Asia

    In this blog, our Asia correspondents and our Banyan columnist provide comment and analysis on Asia's political and cultural landscape. The blog takes its name from the Banyan tree, under which Buddha attained enlightenment and Gujarati merchants used to conduct business.

    Follow Banyan @EconAsia RSS feed
  • Game theory
    Sports

    On this blog, our correspondents analyse and report on sports minor and major, addressing the politics, economics, science and statistics of the games we play and watch.
    Send story ideas to gametheory@economist.com

    Follow Game theory @EconSports RSS feed
  • Babbage
    Science and technology

    In this blog, our correspondents report on the intersections between science, technology, culture and policy. The blog takes its name from Charles Babbage, a Victorian mathematician and engineer who designed a mechanical computer.

    Follow Babbage @EconSciTech RSS feed
  • Elysée
    France’s presidential election

    In this blog our Paris bureau chief reports and comments on the race for the French presidency. The blog is named after the official residence of the French president, an 18th-century palace in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Our election coverage is collected here.

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  • Eastern approaches
    Ex-communist Europe

    Eastern approaches deals with the economic, political, security and cultural aspects of the eastern half of the European continent. It incorporates the long-running "Europe.view" weekly column. The blog is named after the wartime memoirs of the British soldier Sir Fitzroy Maclean.

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  • Clausewitz
    Defence, security and diplomacy

    In this blog, our correspondents provide reporting and analysis on the subjects of defence, security and diplomacy, covering weapons and warfare, spooks and cyber-attacks, diplomats and dead-drops. The blog is named after Carl von Clausewitz, the Prussian soldier and military theorist whose classic work, "On War", is still widely studied today.

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  • Bagehot's notebook
    British politics

    In this blog, our Bagehot columnist surveys the politics of Britain, British life and Britain's place in the world. The column and blog are named after Walter Bagehot, an English journalist who was the editor of The Economist from 1861 to 1877

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  • Baobab
    Africa

    On this blog our correspondents delve into the politics, economics and culture of the continent of Africa, from Cairo to the Cape. The blog takes its name from the baobab, a massive tree that grows throughout much of Africa. It stores water, provides food and is often called the tree of life.

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  • Charlemagne's notebook
    European politics

    In this blog, our Charlemagne columnist considers the ideas and events that shape Europe, while dealing with the quirks of life in the Euro-bubble. An archive of print columns can be found here.

    Follow Charlemagne's notebook @EconCharlemagne RSS feed
  • Johnson
    Language

    In this blog, named after the dictionary-maker Samuel Johnson, our correspondents write about the effects that the use (and sometimes abuse) of language have on politics, society and culture around the world

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  • Free exchange
    Economics

    In this blog, our correspondents consider the fluctuations in the world economy and the policies intended to produce more booms than busts. Adam Smith argued that in a free exchange both parties benefit, and this blog's aim is to encourage a free exchange of views on economic matters.

    Follow Free exchange @EconEconomics RSS feed
  • Analects
    China

    In this blog, our correspondents provide insights into news about China. News is to be construed broadly; politics, finance, geography, language, fine art—all are fair game, in no particular order. We chose the name, which means "things gathered up" or "literary fragments" (and alludes to the title of a Confucian classic), to that end.

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  • Buttonwood's notebook
    Financial markets

    In this blog, our Buttonwood columnist grapples with the ever-changing financial markets and the motley crew who earn their living by attempting to master them. The blog is named after the 1792 agreement that regulated the informal brokerage conducted under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street.

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  • Leviathan
    Public policy

    In this blog, our public policy editor reports on how governments in Britain and beyond are rethinking and reforming the state's role in public services, the arts and life in general. The blog takes its name from Thomas Hobbes's book of 1651, which remains one of the most influential examinations of the relationship between government and society.

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  • Graphic detail
    Charts, maps and infographics

    On this blog we publish a new chart or map every working day, highlight our interactive-data features and provide links to interesting sources of data around the web. The Big Mac index, house-price index and other regular features can be found on our Markets & data page

    Follow Graphic detail @EconDailyCharts RSS feed
  • Democracy in America
    American politics

    In this blog, our correspondents share their thoughts and opinions on America's kinetic brand of politics and the policy it produces. The blog is named after the study of American politics and society written by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political scientist, in the 1830s

    Follow Democracy in America @EconUS RSS feed
  • Americas view
    The Americas

    In this blog, our correspondents provide reporting, analysis and opinion on politics, economics, society and culture in Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada.

    Follow Americas view @EconAmericas RSS feed
  • Newsbook
    News analysis

    In this blog, our correspondents respond to breaking news stories and provide comment and analysis. The blog takes its name from newsbooks, the 16th- and 17th-century precursors to newspapers, which covered battles, disasters, debates and sensational trials

    Follow Newsbook @TheEconomist RSS feed
  • Lexington's notebook
    American politics

    In this blog, our Lexington columnist enters America’s political fray and shares the many opinions that don't make it into his column each week. The column and blog are named after Lexington, Massachusetts, where the first shots were fired in the American war of independence.

    Follow Lexington's notebook @EconUS RSS feed
  • Prospero
    Books, arts and culture

    Named after the hero of Shakespeare's "The Tempest", an expert on the power of books and the arts, this blog features literary insight and cultural commentary from our correspondents, and includes our coverage of the art market.

    Follow Prospero @EconCulture RSS feed
  • Blighty
    Britain

    On this blog, our correspondents ponder political, cultural, business and scientific developments in Britain, the spiritual and geographical home of The Economist. It takes its name from a fond but faintly derogatory name for the mother country often used among British expats.

    Follow Blighty @EconBritain RSS feed

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