Economy

Washington's Bet on Hospital Prices Backfired

Washington's strategy to compel hospitals to disclose prices, expecting a competitive market to emerge and lower costs, has proven ineffective five years later. Despite the vast amount of posted data, a true market has not materialized, and prices have not decreased. Researchers found no instances where major insurers paid hospitals a uniform, fixed price for both inpatient and outpatient services. The disclosure has occurred, but the intended market has not.

'Regime change but in a velvet glove': How Kevin Warsh has set out to remake the Fed

The first big announced changes point toward a quiet revolution, with task forces set up to rethink virtually everything done at the Fed.

Condemned to plutocracy? The relentless rise of US inequality

Elon Musk is a beneficiary of America’s lopsided prosperity – does the country have any appetite for redistribution?

SNAP restrictions could change what shoppers buy

SNAP food restrictions are spreading to more states, pressuring major food and beverage as consumers shift spending away from soda, candy and processed foods.

AI buildout gives tech investors new reasons to watch bond market

Tech giants are depleting cash reserves and raising debt in their ambitious data center buildouts, a dynamic that's forcing investors to watch interest rates.

Goldman Sachs is betting that a recent merger will drive sharp gains for this travel stock

The bank this week upgraded the airline to buy from neutral.

The Myth of SpaceX

The company has mutated into something that defies both comparison and logic.

California's $100,000 Poor People

If you are a single person living alone and you make $46,000 a year, then you are a solidly middle-class American. Unless you live in Orange County, where you can make double that amount and still be considered poor.

Syria's Sectarian Reckoning After Assad

“The economic situation is very bad,” said Laila, a Sunni lawyer. “I have many skills, yet I can’t find a single job that values my qualifications.”

Massive bonuses for South Korea's chip workers puts central bank on inflation alert

Workers from tech industries receive bonus worth millions of won, prompting the Bank of Korea to warn of the upward pressure to inflation.

Beyond the beach: Spain pushes offbeat regions as tourist numbers nudge 100m

Exclusive: Tourism minister says another likely record year of visitor growth is not a worry amid move to welcome tourists out of season and market less frequented areas

‘It’s Russian roulette’: alarm as Europe backs critical minerals mines in water-stressed regions

Exclusive: European Commission planning to rewrite key law to allow water-intensive mines in regions suffering from drought