The Berlin Wall divided the city for 28 years, two months and 28 days starting Aug. 13, 1961. It ended on Nov. 9, 1989, when Guenter Schabowski, a top East German official, erroneously announced that crossing into West Berlin was now permitted. Now that the same amount of time -- 28 years, two months and 28 days -- has passed, it’s fitting that the next German government is expected to end the solidarity tax created to even out economic differences between both sides.　While there’s little sign o

Viewpoints Feb. 8, 2018

Investors in US equities and bonds headed for the doors on Friday, with the bearish sentiment extending to global markets as the new week began Monday. The immediate cause of the sell-off was the jobs report for January, which showed that average hourly wages rose at the fastest annual pace since 2009. 　But the rising pay was a false alarm. Workers were employed for fewer hours last month, reducing their weekly take-home pay compared with December, and significantly slowing the pace of increase

Viewpoints Feb. 7, 2018

The heightened perception of a Russian threat to the West could have at least one positive consequence: The admission of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom) to the European Union. But the massive rallies in Athens on Sunday, with at least 140,000 protesting the Greek government’s apparent willingness to compromise on Macedonia’s name, show that the 26-year-old issue isn’t about to fade away.　Ever since Yugoslavia broke up in 1991, Macedonia has lacked a permanent official name beca

Viewpoints Feb. 7, 2018

In China, the cars are becoming smarter. Last week, Alibaba Group Holding and Foxconn Technology led a $348 million fundraising round for Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology, a 3-year-old startup developing internet-connected, electric cars. The investment might seem an odd one for online retailer Alibaba. But it’s part of a larger vision for transportation that includes tools to design and run entire cities. Indeed, with backing from the Chinese government, Alibaba could soon seize the lead ov

Viewpoints Feb. 6, 2018

There is an acute struggle dividing US voters that isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans or differences on issues.It’s about the public’s optimistic view of the economy during the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency and the simultaneously pessimistic view of Trump himself. The contrast is striking.　Polls show overwhelming satisfaction with the state of the economy, the most since the final three years of President Bill Clinton’s administration and the early months of the George W. Bush pr

Viewpoints Feb. 6, 2018

As a middle-aged rock fan, I have a problem many of my peers would relate to: Every year, more of my favorite musicians die, and every year, the list seems to get longer. It took me a few days to get over the recent loss of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith; my wife was stricken when the Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan -- who was my age -- suddenly died last month.　I’m not sure, though, that I’m down with the way some innovative companies are trying to fill the void.　I understand the economics behind last

Viewpoints Feb. 5, 2018

To hear some US politicians tell it, President Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from NAFTA, build a wall and kick out the Dreamers may cast a decisive shadow over Mexico’s upcoming presidential election. Yet if Mexicans do vote for change, it will more likely be because they are fed up by homegrown woes, beginning with the blatant impunity that has fueled criminal violence and rampant corruption.　While Mexico’s surging homicide rate understandably draws top media billing, widespread corporate

Viewpoints Feb. 5, 2018

The world has crossed over to a new nuclear era, where a fateful error -- rather than intentional aggression -- is the most likely catalyst to nuclear catastrophe.　American leaders have been warned more than once of incoming Russian missiles -- in each case, it was a false alarm resulting from technical or human error. Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin was mistakenly alerted to a possible US missile strike after the launch of a Norwegian scientific rocket.After every incident, we deceive ou

Viewpoints Feb. 4, 2018

Brent crude traded near $70 a barrel as the specter of expanding U.S. supply was weighed against Wall Street banks’ growing faith in a price rally.The benchmark grade is on course to end the week lower, after being whipsawed by concern about rising American production and optimism over rosy outlooks painted by forecasters including Goldman Sachs Group Inc.Brent has held at these levels since mid-January, after being driven higher by shrinking U.S. stockpiles and a weaker dollar earlier in the ye

World Feb. 2, 2018

The re-election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in October was welcomed warmly by stock market investors. The reappointment of Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda to another five-year term starting this April would also be viewed as a reassuring sign of policy continuity.The Japanese tradition of naming economic expansions after Shinto deities dates back to the 1950s. A fitting name for the current period of growth, already the second longest since the war, might be the “Amaterasu boom,” a reference

Viewpoints Jan. 31, 2018