WSJ Heard on the Street

Markets still aren’t very good at pricing political risk—particularly of the catastrophic variety.

The European Central Bank has emphasized persistence and patience on its monetary policy. But with the path of its bond-purchase program set only until the end of December, the pressure to lay out 2018 plans is building.

Smartwatches haven’t exactly proven to be must-have devices yet, but lower prices and expanded functions may convince more consumers to strap one on.

After a red-hot 12 months, China’s industrial economy is slowing again. That spells trouble for heavily indebted coal firms like Yanzhou Coal, and could mean renewed stress on China’s rickety financial system next year.

If payroll growth is indeed cooling, then the Federal Reserve can focus on hard data without worrying about labor market slack and could well be on hold for the rest of 2017.

Upbeat results from the world’s largest music company aren’t enough to make parent company Vivendi an appealing investment.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise faces many challenges, including earnings next week and the question of why its CEO was looking elsewhere.

The Swiss franc has been slow to react to the brighter picture for the eurozone economy.

A frothy housing market, high debt levels and rising interest rates could spell danger for Canadian lenders.

Competition from home-grown upstarts continues to bedevil the vodka brands owned by Diageo and Pernod Ricard.