The envy of the world

The world this week

Leaders

The envy of the world

America’s economy is bigger and better than ever

Will politics bring it back to Earth?

Illustration of an arm with stars and stripes holding a sack with an Iranian flag on it, the sack has holes in it and oil is pouring out

Financial firepower

How the Biden administration botched America’s sanctions against Iran

With the financial deterrent undermined, only military deterrence is left

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gestures during a news conference in Vientiane, Laos, October 11th 2024

Justin’s time

Canada’s Trudeau trap

How the world’s most reasonable country grew sick of centre-left liberalism 

A person holds a red briefcase, the handles are broken and the suitcase is falling

Reeves’s first rodeo

Britain’s budget risks being a huge missed opportunity

Rachel Reeves looks set to please no one for little return

Starship's Super Heavy rocket booster is caught in mid-air during the fifth flight test in Texas, United States on October 13th 2024

Space travel

Starship will change what is possible beyond Earth

The successful test-flight of SpaceX’s massive new space vehicle promises a host of new projects, including the colonisation of Mars

Letters

On VAT, Spain, UNRWA, electric cars, tuition fees, working lunches

Letters to the editor

By Invitation

Briefing

A long exposure image showing the satelitte filled sky

Filling up space

The rockets are nifty, but it is satellites that make SpaceX valuable

Elon Musk’s space venture may soon be more valuable than Tesla

The Economist reads

Economic & financial indicators

Obituary