Category: Policy

Global Stocks Fall on Virus Concern, Tighter Fed Policy

BEIJING—Global stock markets and Wall Street futures tumbled Monday amid concern about the latest coronavirus variant and tighter Federal Reserve policy. London and Frankfurt opened sharply lower. Shanghai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong also fell at the start of a trading week that will be shortened by Christmas. Benchmark U.S. oil fell by more than $3…


World Shares Mixed Ahead of Fed Policy Statement

BANGKOK—World shares were mixed Wednesday as traders awaited the outcome of the last Federal Reserve meeting of this year. Benchmarks rose in Paris, Tokyo, and Frankfurt but fell in Hong Kong and Shanghai after the U.S. Labor Department reported wholesale prices jumped a record 9.6 percent in November from a year earlier. Fed policymakers end…


Asian Shares Shed Gains Ahead of Fed Policy Statement

BANGKOK—Stocks were mostly lower in Asia on Wednesday after new U.S. data showed inflation is still running high, putting a spotlight on what action the Federal Reserve will take as it holds its last meeting of the year. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1 percent higher to 28,459.72 and the Kospi in Seoul was nearly…


The (Un)Marvelous Mr. Mayorkas

Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has been in the hot seat for blunders at the southern border, where both people and drugs are trafficked. Mayorkas is just the latest department chief to face harsh scrutiny for poor policy and leadership, as the Biden administration shows a lack of competence. Hosted by…


ECB Must Keep Options Open Beyond December Amid Uncertainty: Accounts

FRANKFURT—The European Central Bank must keep its policy options open beyond a crucial meeting in December as uncertainty over the likely evolution of inflation is exceptionally high, policymakers concluded in October, according to the accounts of the meeting. High inflation is still largely seen as temporary but the current “hump” in prices will be more…


More Fed Officials Open to Speeding Up Bond-Buying Taper, Rates Liftoff

A growing number of Federal Reserve policymakers indicated they would be open to speeding up the elimination of their bond-buying program if high inflation held and move more quickly to raise interest rates, minutes of the U.S. central bank’s last policy meeting showed. The readout released on Wednesday was the latest indication that anxiety about…


EU Says Chips Policy Aim Is to Ensure Resilient Supply Chain

BRUSSELS—The European Union’s policy on state aid for the production of semiconductors will seek to avoid a subsidy race, and companies must aim for diversification to ensure a robust supply chain across the bloc, the European Commission said on Thursday. “Each case for the supply of semiconductors will be rigorously assessed based on their respective…


Unvaccinated Federal Employees Not Granted Exemptions to Be Put on Unpaid Leave Today

OTTAWA—Employees in the core federal public sector who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be put on unpaid leave today, unless they were already granted an accommodation. The policy could potentially leave more than one thousand workers without pay and unable to access employment insurance benefits. As of Nov. 3, the vast majority…


Oklahoma Governor Orders Halt to Nonbinary Birth Certificates

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order to stop the state’s health department from amending and issuing birth certificates to assign a nonbinary gender to people who identify as such. The new executive order (pdf), filed on Nov. 8, said that Stitt and his administration did not approve the settlement agreement from the Oklahoma…


US, China Issue Joint Plan to Boost Cooperation on Climate Change

The world’s two largest emitters of carbon dioxide on Nov. 10 pledged to work together in tackling climate change as global leaders wrap up the two-week COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. The framework, unveiled by U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua two days before the conferences comes to a close,…