Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Philip Ball’s recent article on mainstream economics has attracted strong criticism on the letters page. Mr ...

SUQIAN, CHINA - JUNE 10: In this photo illustration, the logo of AI Agent is displayed on a smartphone screen on June 10, 2025 in Suqian, Jiangsu Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) ...

Economists have an imaginary person they call a “representative agent,” who is about as realistic as the Easter bunny or the Abominable Snowman. The representative agent is supposed to stand in for ...