FIGURES RELEASED last month showed that American consumer-price inflation hit 4.2% year-on-year in April, the highest rate since 2008. Markets were spooked. Investors feared that higher inflation and interest rates could destroy asset values. Then, on June 10th, came worse news, or so it seemed. In May annual inflation rose higher still, to 5%. Prices climbed by 0.6% that month alone. But this time financial markets were sanguine. One reason could be that much of the inflation comes from a surprisingly small part of the economy: the market for used cars. Economists crunching the latest inflation data have found soaring used-car prices to be the prime culprit behind the surge. About a third of May’s overall month-on-month rise came from the appreciating value of cast-off cars. According to official figures, from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the prices of used cars and trucks have risen 30% over the past year. Many in the automotive industry think that is an underestimate....

FIGURES RELEASED last month showed that American consumer-price inflation hit 4.2% year-on-year in April, the highest rate since 2008. Markets were spooked. Investors feared that higher inflation and interest rates could destroy asset values. Then, on June 10th, came worse news, or so it seemed. In May annual inflation rose higher still, to 5%. Prices climbed by 0.6% that month alone. But this time financial markets were sanguine. One reason could be that much of the inflation comes from a surprisingly small part of the economy: the market for used cars. Economists crunching the latest inflation data have found soaring used-car prices to be the prime culprit behind the surge. About a third of May’s overall month-on-month rise came from the appreciating value of cast-off cars. According to official figures, from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the prices of used cars and trucks have risen 30% over the past year. Many in the automotive industry think that is an underestimate....

FIGURES RELEASED last month showed that American consumer-price inflation hit 4.2% year-on-year in April, the highest rate since 2008. Markets were spooked. Investors feared that higher inflation and interest rates could destroy asset values. Then, on June 10th, came worse news, or so it seemed. In May annual inflation rose higher still, to 5%. Prices climbed by 0.6% that month alone. But this time financial markets were sanguine. One reason could be that much of the inflation comes from a surprisingly small part of the economy: the market for used cars. Economists crunching the latest inflation data have found soaring used-car prices to be the prime culprit behind the surge. About a third of May’s overall month-on-month rise came from the appreciating value of cast-off cars. According to official figures, from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the prices of used cars and trucks have risen 30% over the past year. Many in the automotive industry think that is an underestimate....

WHEN THE supply of houses for sale is high, and demand for them is low, pundits often speak of a “buyers’ market”, as it is quicker and cheaper for people to find a new home. It follows, then, that when there is lots of unemployment economists assume it is quicker and cheaper for employers to find new staff. As both the cost of recruitment and wages fall, in theory firms should feel encouraged to hire more workers, which would reduce unemployment quickly after an economic shock. But does this happen in practice?

WHEN THE supply of houses for sale is high, and demand for them is low, pundits often speak of a “buyers’ market”, as it is quicker and cheaper for people to find a new home. It follows, then, that when there is lots of unemployment economists assume it is quicker and cheaper for employers to find new staff. As both the cost of recruitment and wages fall, in theory firms should feel encouraged to hire more workers, which would reduce unemployment quickly after an economic shock. But does this happen in practice?

WHEN THE supply of houses for sale is high, and demand for them is low, pundits often speak of a “buyers’ market”, as it is quicker and cheaper for people to find a new home. It follows, then, that when there is lots of unemployment economists assume it is quicker and cheaper for employers to find new staff. As both the cost of recruitment and wages fall, in theory firms should feel encouraged to hire more workers, which would reduce unemployment quickly after an economic shock. But does this happen in practice?

“SINCE WE took office,” tweeted President Joe Biden on May 23rd, “hunger rates have dropped 43%.” That statistic, although astonishing, is broadly correct according to data from the Census Bureau. “That’s the American Rescue Plan at work,” Mr Biden added. The claim of causality, however, is less certain.

AS LOCKDOWNS LIFT across the rich world, people are going out and spending. Australia’s restaurants have been crammed for months. America’s shopping malls are filled with people splurging stimulus cheques. Cinemas in Britain, which were allowed to reopen in mid-May, are packed once again. Yet behind the scenes another, potentially more significant, spending bonanza is just beginning.

“SINCE WE took office,” tweeted President Joe Biden on May 23rd, “hunger rates have dropped 43%.” That statistic, although astonishing, is broadly correct according to data from the Census Bureau. “That’s the American Rescue Plan at work,” Mr Biden added. The claim of causality, however, is less certain.

YOU COULD fill a small library with books on right-wing populism. Some authors argue that these movements emerged in reaction to relatively recent events, such as the financial crisis of 2007-09 or the advent of social media. Others look to longer-lasting regional trends, like European integration or racial politics in America.

Start with the official counts. Chinese health statistics report that there have been 3,869 covid-19 deaths in the city of 11m people. One-third of those deaths were added on April 17th 2020, when officials updated reporting standards, in particular to capture deaths that occurred outside hospitals. No more covid-19 deaths have been reported since.

However, as The Economist has found in other countries, official tolls often fail to capture the full impact of the pandemic. That is because recording covid-19 deaths requires both comprehensive testing and highly accurate reporting. This was especially difficult at the onset of the pandemic and, not least, in an authoritarian system that does not easily own up to failings and can produce questionable statistics.

INDIA’S SECOND wave of covid-19 continues to set grim new records. On April 25th India detected more than 350,000 new cases—the most in a single day in any country at any stage in the pandemic. This number has reached new highs for five days in a row (see chart). So bad has India’s outbreak become that it now accounts for some 38% of global cases—up from just 9% a month ago. That is the highest share reached by an individual country since the early stages of the pandemic.

INDIA’S SECOND wave of covid-19 continues to set grim new records. On April 25th India detected more than 350,000 new cases—the most in a single day in any country at any stage in the pandemic. This number has reached new highs for five days in a row (see chart). So bad has India’s outbreak become that it now accounts for some 38% of global cases—up from just 9% a month ago. That is the highest share reached by an individual country since the early stages of the pandemic.

INDIA’S SECOND wave of covid-19 continues to set grim new records. On April 25th India detected more than 350,000 new cases—the most in a single day in any country at any stage in the pandemic. This number has reached new highs for five days in a row (see chart). So bad has India’s outbreak become that it now accounts for some 38% of global cases—up from just 9% a month ago. That is the highest share reached by an individual country since the early stages of the pandemic.

INDIA’S SECOND wave of covid-19 continues to set grim new records. On April 25th India detected more than 350,000 new cases—the most in a single day in any country at any stage in the pandemic. This number has reached new highs for five days in a row (see chart). So bad has India’s outbreak become that it now accounts for some 38% of global cases—up from just 9% a month ago. That is the highest share reached by an individual country since the early stages of the pandemic.

INDIA’S SECOND wave of covid-19 continues to set grim new records. On April 25th India detected more than 350,000 new cases—the most in a single day in any country at any stage in the pandemic. This number has reached new highs for five days in a row (see chart). So bad has India’s outbreak become that it now accounts for some 38% of global cases—up from just 9% a month ago. That is the highest share reached by an individual country since the early stages of the pandemic.

ON APRIL 12th and 14th more than 4m people bathed in the waters of the Ganges at Haridwar in northern India. Both were auspicious days for a “shahi snan”, or “holy dip”, a ritual part of the triennial Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival. This year’s may be brought to a close before its scheduled climax on April 27th. The festival coincides with India’s emergence as the centre of the global covid-19 pandemic. Rules such as compulsory masks and social-distancing are in place, but widely flouted. “The faith in God will overcome the fear of the virus,” said Tirath Singh Rawat, chief minister of the state of Uttarakhand.

India’s capacity for mass piety constantly surprises. But so does covid-19. The speed with which it is roaring back in India is staggering. On March 1st, the number of new cases reported was around 12,000. By April 1st it was more than 80,000. On April 13th, it was about 185,000. Testing in rural areas is almost non-existent, so the official tally of cases is likely...

ON APRIL 12th and 14th more than 4m people bathed in the waters of the Ganges at Haridwar in northern India. Both were auspicious days for a “shahi snan”, or “holy dip”, a ritual part of the triennial Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival. This year’s may be brought to a close before its scheduled climax on April 27th. The festival coincides with India’s emergence as the centre of the global covid-19 pandemic. Rules such as compulsory masks and social-distancing are in place, but widely flouted. “The faith in God will overcome the fear of the virus,” said Tirath Singh Rawat, chief minister of the state of Uttarakhand.

India’s capacity for mass piety constantly surprises. But so does covid-19. The speed with which it is roaring back in India is staggering. On March 1st, the number of new cases reported was around 12,000. By April 1st it was more than 80,000. On April 13th, it was about 185,000. Testing in rural areas is almost non-existent, so the official tally of cases is likely...

MITCH MCCONNELL, the senior senator from Kentucky, had a clear message for the company bosses opposed to a Republican law in Georgia that places new restrictions on voting: “Stay out of politics”. Critics might argue that the Republican Party is sending the same message to some voters. Since their party’s losses in the 2020 election last November, Republican state lawmakers across the United States have introduced hundreds of bills limiting voting access. Georgia’s bill, which was signed into law on March 25th, reduces the number of ballot dropboxes for absentee voters and gives the Republican-dominated state legislature more power over county election officials.

A new study by Jake Grumbach, a political scientist at the University of Washington, suggests that these restrictive voting laws follow a pattern in a much broader trend. Mr Grumbach developed a State Democracy Index for measuring the health of democratic institutions across all 50 states between 2000 and 2018....

MITCH MCCONNELL, the senior senator from Kentucky, had a clear message for the company bosses opposed to a Republican law in Georgia that places new restrictions on voting: “Stay out of politics”. Critics might argue that the Republican Party is sending the same message to some voters. Since their party’s losses in the 2020 election last November, Republican state lawmakers across the United States have introduced hundreds of bills limiting voting access. Georgia’s bill, which was signed into law on March 25th, reduces the number of ballot dropboxes for absentee voters and gives the Republican-dominated state legislature more power over county election officials.

A new study by Jake Grumbach, a political scientist at the University of Washington, suggests that these restrictive voting laws follow a pattern in a much broader trend. Mr Grumbach developed a State Democracy Index for measuring the health of democratic institutions across all 50 states between 2000 and 2018....

MITCH MCCONNELL, the senior senator from Kentucky, had a clear message for the company bosses opposed to a Republican law in Georgia that places new restrictions on voting: “Stay out of politics”. Critics might argue that the Republican Party is sending the same message to some voters. Since their party’s losses in the 2020 election last November, Republican state lawmakers across the United States have introduced hundreds of bills limiting voting access. Georgia’s bill, which was signed into law on March 25th, reduces the number of ballot dropboxes for absentee voters and gives the Republican-dominated state legislature more power over county election officials.

A new study by Jake Grumbach, a political scientist at the University of Washington, suggests that these restrictive voting laws follow a pattern in a much broader trend. Mr Grumbach developed a State Democracy Index for measuring the health of democratic institutions across all 50 states between 2000 and 2018....

MITCH MCCONNELL, the senior senator from Kentucky, had a clear message for the company bosses opposed to a Republican law in Georgia that places new restrictions on voting: “Stay out of politics”. Critics might argue that the Republican Party is sending the same message to some voters. Since their party’s losses in the 2020 election last November, Republican state lawmakers across the United States have introduced hundreds of bills limiting voting access. Georgia’s bill, which was signed into law on March 25th, reduces the number of ballot dropboxes for absentee voters and gives the Republican-dominated state legislature more power over county election officials.

A new study by Jake Grumbach, a political scientist at the University of Washington, suggests that these restrictive voting laws follow a pattern in a much broader trend. Mr Grumbach developed a State Democracy Index for measuring the health of democratic institutions across all 50 states between 2000 and 2018....

THE RECESSION set off by the covid-19 pandemic has strangely coincided with surging asset values, and residential property is no exception. Taking an equal-weighted average of 16 rich-world markets, real prices have risen by 5.4% during the most recent 12 months with available data, compared with 2.2% a year earlier. In America values in the 12 months to January jumped by 11%, the fastest rate since 2006.