Winner of Nobel in Economics To Be Announced
At least one prominent economist will enter the pantheon of Nobel laureates Monday, when the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announces the winner of the 2018 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. In recent years, the Nobel committee has tended to honor economists who focus on the mechanics of individual behavior, rather than the authors of grand macroeconomic theories. Last year’s winner was behavioral economist Richard Thaler, who was recognized for his work demonstrating that people are predictably irrational — that human behavior defies economic theory in ways that are both consistent and foreseeable.
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— BINYAMIN APPELBAUM
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Google Plans to Unveil New Products
Google continues its uphill battle in the consumer hardware business. The company on Tuesday is expected to unveil an array of products, including its third-generation Pixel smartphones, at an event in New York. Though the Pixel phones have received glowing reviews, they are still small sellers compared with Apple iPhones and Samsung devices.
— BRIAN X. CHEN
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Modest Rise Expected in Consumer Prices in September
At 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Thursday, the Labor Department will announce its reading of the Consumer Price Index for September. Inflation has been tame lately, despite a strong economy, and the CPI is expected to reflect that. The overall index and the core components are both expected to rise 0.2 percent. On the other hand, a stronger-than-expected figure could unnerve investors already concerned about rising interest rates.
— NELSON D. SCHWARTZ
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Trade on Agenda at IMF-World Bank Meetings
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund gather for their annual meetings this week on the Indonesian island of Bali. The gatherings come as politicians in countries like the United States have rebuked multilateralism and openly questioned the value of international institutions like the World Bank and IMF. Officials gathered in Bali will probably address the rising tensions between the United States and China. Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, is expected to address how trade can be an engine of growth for all nations. Also on the agenda: how the global economy is at risk of another economic crisis, something the IMF warned about in its recent Global Financial Stability Report.
— ALEXANDRA STEVENSON
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Major Banks Will Report Third-Quarter Earnings
Bank earnings season begins this week with the first three megabanks revealing their third-quarter results Friday. Reports are due from JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup before the stock market opens. Investors will be looking at their loan growth, which could be stronger than it was in last year’s third quarter thanks to a better overall economy. Their trading businesses may have suffered again.
— EMILY FLITTER