As they say in sports, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. President Obama initiated a headline-grabbing jobs summit a day before Friday's release of the widely watched monthly employment report. Cynics may claim ...

It was roller coaster week for the financial markets, reflecting growing investor jitters about an economy that has still not shown its true self. The solid 3.5 percent growth rate reported for the third quarter ...

As we enter the midpoint of the fourth quarter, the economy appears to be ending the year in much better shape than envisioned just a few weeks ago. Sure, the eye-opening 3.5 percent growth rate in the third quarter was largely ...

Even the most die-hard optimist would admit the economy faces a number of headwinds that will keep it operating below its potential for some time to come. Forget the time-honored notion that ...

As advertised, the economy delivered a solid performance in the third quarter, with the Commerce Department reporting that real GDP expanded by a better-than-expected 3.5 percent annual rate during the period. More than anything ...

It's hard not to be an optimist these days. After all, just about every major asset class, outside of real estate, is going up - stocks, gold, most other commodities and bonds. Even ...

For most of the past two years, what the financial markets desperately needed were tangible signs of encouragement, some uplifting reason for investors to shift funds from ultra safe assets to riskier outlets. After all...

Despite signs of improvement, the economy continues to face some formidable headwinds. Jobs are still being extinguished at a dispiriting pace, the housing market remains in...

Not surprisingly, Friday's employment report conjured up an avalanche of mixed emotions among economists and financial market participants. Clearly, there was ...

The Federal Reserve has been diligently straddling a fine line in recent months. On one side, it has been trying to appease critics who fear ...

If you fail to step back and take in the big picture, it would be tempting to look at the incoming figures and claim that the nation is enjoying a Goldilocks economy - one that is ...

There are more questions than answers regarding the economy's long-term future, but growth prospects for the next several months are looking increasingly solid. Indeed...

President Obama has been navigating some rough waters in recent weeks, watching his poll numbers sink and confronting fierce opposition to his ambitious plans for health care reform. But one move that has received ...

As advertised, the economy has encountered a few potholes on the road to recovery in recent weeks. Last week's retail sales report revealed that ...

The financial markets were buffeted by conflicting data this week that, on balance, dampened some of the enthusiasm accompanying last week's upbeat jobs report. Make no mistake...

Far be it for us to sound Pollyannaish about the economy - after all, we are reputed to be dismal scientists. Still, it is hard not be ...

Although the government's GDP report this week contained few surprises, it did provide some important insights into where the economy is and where it is heading. On the bright side...

In a week devoid of meaningful economic data, the financial markets continued to celebrate the growing perception that the worst is over for the recession. Stock prices ...

To quote our 38th President, Gerald Ford, in another context, 'My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.' It does appear that the worst of the protracted and deep downturn in economic activity is ...

You couldn't tell by the behavior of the financial markets, but the economic news this week actually contained more good than bad tidings. Yet stock prices continued ...

Wall Street took it on the chin on Friday, as the Labor Department released a gloomier jobs report than had been expected. The 467 thousand decline in nonfarm payrolls reported for June was ...

The Federal Reserve did a masterful job of placating both the economic doves and the inflation hawks this week. Its mastery over the grumbling adversaries had nothing to do with ...

Since this week's headlines were dominated by Washington's plans to reform the financial system, fix health care and deal with the election debacle in Iran, an array of important economic statistics hardly dented the radar screen. Yet they provided...

It should be fairly self evident that the $14 trillion behemoth known as the U.S. economy moves at a glacial speed. Like a giant cruiser ship...

It's not a tidal wave yet, but the upsurge in analysts who believe the economy has turned the corner got a big lift this week on a number of fronts. First, there was ...

Forecasters are increasingly speculating about the timing and vigor of the next recovery. Given the bleak economic environment that still prevails, such speculation may well be premature. Nonetheless, it does affect ...

As any pugilist will verify, it's no fun getting off the canvass. For one, you are still in a weakened condition and fearful that the next blow will ...

The flow of data over the past two weeks provides a striking example of why complacency can be dangerous to your financial health. To be sure, there were -- and still are -- compelling reasons to ...

Although the week's batch of economic data provided a mix of good and bad news, the good outweighed the bad by a slight margin. Simply put, it was another small step on the road to recovery, supporting the impression that ...

In a nod to Mark Twain, recent signs that the recession may soon expire have been greatly exaggerated. At least that's the impression conveyed by the headline reading of this week's major economic reports. Take, for example...

When next week's advance report on GDP is released, it will show that the economy turned in another ugly performance in the first quarter. Whether the contraction in activity exceeds ...

The week was chock full of economic data accompanied by an onslaught of anecdotal evidence, but the economy's fortunes remain as murky as ever. If there is any agreement among forecasters of varying opinions, it is...

The budding tide of optimism that has seeped into the stock market continued this week, extending the string of impressive gains that the major indices have turned in since March 9. As powerful as the rally has been ...

Don't call us optimists yet. But it's quite possible that things are looking up - or, more precisely, down a shallower valley. Over the past month, the vast majority of economic reports have suggested that the economy's rate of descent is ...

Following a relentless onslaught of doomsday statistics, the bean counters are finally turning out some numbers to cheer about. To be sure, everything is relative. When the economic environment is as beaten down as it is...

We are no less outraged than John and Jane Q public over the seven-figure bonuses paid to wayward quants who fabricated credit default swaps and other obtuse derivatives that were supposed to reduce risk but instead...

Are we turning the corner? Once again - as was the case last week - the heartbeat of investors quickened a bit as the latest batch of economic data was not as bad as feared. Make no mistake; while a tinge of Pollyanna seems to have permeated...

So it has come to this: Happiness is when the slide in economic activity doesn't exceed expectations. That, at least, seems to be the attitude among some investors and economists, who view the absence of negative surprises as...

Just when you thought conditions couldn't get any worse, they do. Clearly, that worrisome tendency can be applied to many, if not most, corners of the economy and...

It's hard not to get caught up in the rising tide of pessimism gripping the forecasting community. Indeed, although his intentions may be admirable- mainly to garner support for his ambitious programs - President Obama has...

Despite the invective and ongoing squabbling over details, the much-touted stimulus bill is on the fast track to President Obama's desk. On Wednesday night...

This week's employment report provides more grim evidence that there is no end in sight to the deepening recession that has gripped the nation since December 2007. Indeed, if the latest report is any indication...

If there was ever a time that economists deserved to be known as dismal scientists, this is it. Whether they work in academia, Wall Street or for the government, it is almost impossible to find ...

The key event of a light data week was the inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, ending 24 years of Bush-Clinton administrations. Mr. Obama is faced with ...

Even the most die-hard optimist would be hard-pressed to say anything positive about the economy these days. Certainly, the statisticians in Washington aren't ...

All of the stimulus faucets are wide open, but will the gush of policy lubricants be enough to pump renewed life into a moribund economy? No one can answer that question with any confidence, of course, but ...

While the stock market transitioned from 2008 into 2009 on an upbeat note, the economy remains in the doldrums. Whether the three-day equity rally is...