Tuesday, October 20, 2026

The Economist

2 stories

Summaries below are written from each story's published headline and summary, in plain English — what happened and why it matters. They are a reading guide, not the articles themselves. To read the full text, follow the link and log in with your subscription.

Finance

Who will buy $120bn-worth of fresh Japanese government bonds?

Japan is issuing $120 billion in fresh government bonds and needs buyers. The government wants its massive pension fund and ordinary households to buy more of the debt. The push comes as Japan searches for new sources of demand for its borrowing.

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Workplace

Bartleby newsletter: Boomers, babies and bots

The Economist's workplace columnist Andrew Palmer rounds up three research papers that caught his eye. The theme this week is "Boomers, babies and bots" — generational change and automation in the workplace. It is the latest edition of the Bartleby newsletter.

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