I’ve got bad news for those needing to insure a car in the coming months: You should expect to pay more because your insurer is probably losing money. Inflation has dramatically pushed up the cost of accident and theft claims, sticking insurers on both sides of the Atlantic with big underwriting losses – in other words, the premiums they collect aren’t sufficient to cover payouts and other expenses. Car Crash US property/casualty insurers incurred $27 billion in net underwriting losses last...

When the history of the modern financial era is written, there’s one comment that’s almost certain to merit inclusion: “Stocks only go up!” Sports-blogger turned day-trader Dave Portnoy’s pithy observation this summer was designed to both amuse and provoke. But if you’ve put money into U.S. stocks since the market bottomed out in 2009, the chances are you think Portnoy is basically correct. Plenty of professional asset managers would concur. Perhaps the most important question for those...

Britain's politicians are still smarting about the hostile takeover and probable breakup of U.K. engineering firm GKN Plc. Now another struggling domestic company -- train and bus operator FirstGroup Plc -- has received a proposal from what those of a left-wing persuasion might call an American asset-stripper. Politics permitting, the outcome is likely to be similar. FirstGroup, owner of British rail and bus franchises, plus U.S. yellow school buses and the Greyhound bus network, says U.S....