LONDON: In this year’s race between two peripheral European stock markets, Italy has left Spain in the dust mostly thanks to Mario Draghi’s reforms. Fund managers and strategists see the gap between the two bourses widening further in 2022. After trailing the Stoxx Europe 600 during last year’s recovery rally, Italy’s FTSE MIB Index has surged 20% in 2021, while Spain’s IBEX 35 benchmark has barely risen. Even more impressive is the performance of the country’s small companies: the FTSE Italia S

Several have surpassed the United States in fully vaccinating their populations or are on track to do so, limiting the perniciousness of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.In South Korea, the authorities said vaccines had helped keep most people out of the hospital.... Most of the countries do not manufacture their own vaccines and could face supply problems if their governments approve boosters.In Southeast Asia, the rollout has been slow and uneven, dragging down economic prospects there...

Only a few months ago, Britain was being lauded as a world leader in a vaccination programme that MPs described as “ one of the most stunning scientific achievements in history ”.... There hasn’t been the kind of very aggressive approach that some inside government want.” The committee described the development as “ concerning ” and Greg Clark, the committee’s co-chairman, suggested it was “ the forest creeping back into the clearing ”.... “ I think that's the thing that we should be really up

INFLATION is surging around the globe and central bankers are fretting that growth is running hot, yet officials in the world’s third-largest economy seem oddly relaxed.... But does inflation near zero really look so bad now?... Disappointing or not, Japan might be on the right side of history....

yesterday's sell-off.... " Investors may look for laggard counters with high earnings visibility

2.58 percent and 1.29 percent, respectively, leading the laggards....

and 0.91 percent, respectively, leading the laggards....

2.48 percent, respectively, leading the laggards....

0.76 percent, leading the laggards....

— hurrying laggards out the door.Ms....