The dog days of August continue to churn out grim economic news. On the bright side, the month is mercifully nearing an end. On the dark side...

At first blush, a look at this week's economic data would belie the headline-grabbing fears of a double-dip recession, much less the scourge of deflation. Yes, first-time claims for unemployment benefits ...

The Federal Reserve tried to strike a delicate balance this week, taking modest steps to help stimulate the economy while providing assurances that it has everything under control. In essence...

As the midterm election season heats up, the incumbents are going to have a tough time finding positive talking points about the economy. True, the worst recession in the postwar period ...

Friday's release of the second-quarter GDP figures will no doubt add fuel to the debate over whether the economy is vulnerable to a double-dip recession. On the surface, the new data ...

Big Ben climbed the steps of Capitol Hill this week to deliver his semiannual report on monetary policy to Congress. The Federal Reserve Chief provided few surprises, as his comments generally echoed ...

If you live anywhere near the East Coast, where the heat and humidity have been oppressive for the past several weeks, you know that the proverbial dog days of summer have arrived. Aside from ..

It may be nothing more than a brief interlude , but it was still nice to see the financial markets accentuate the positive this week, shifting away from ...

The latest jobs report had something for everybody but satisfied no one on either side of the philosophical spectrum. For sure, it did little to squash the ongoing debate - raging here and abroad - as to whether ...

The financial markets had little to cheer about this week. Dismal news continued to come out of Europe, with Greek yield spreads exploding and other weak sisters of the EU, particularly Spain and Portugal, paying up as well, reflecting ...

This week's batch of economic data provides further evidence that a two-tiered recovery is unfolding, one that features both weakness and strength. By itself, such a dichotomy is ...

With all of the extraneous shocks buffeting the public psychology - the horrific oil spill, sovereign debt crisis and rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Northeast Asia ...

Although the sovereign debt crisis still casts a dark cloud over the financial markets, the turbulence it created subsided over the past week. To be sure, investors are ...

Whether it's the Greek Tragedy, financial reform legislation, new stock market rules or just a general apprehension over the direction of the economy, something is clearly amiss in the financial markets. With the major stock indexes ...

The financial markets spent another turbulent week as stock prices rallied then plunged, ending the week on a downbeat note. Unlike the previous week's turbulence...

It would be understandable if heads were still spinning after Thursday's wild stock market ride, which at one point saw the Dow Industrials plunge by nearly 1000 points before recovering for a loss of "only" 350 points by the end of the day. In addition ..

Another quarter, another decent performance for the American economy. With GDP posting a solid, albeit as expected, 3.2 percent growth rate in the January-March period...

The economy is giving every impression of transitioning from a fragile recovery into a respectable self-sustaining upturn. In recent months, the majority of key indicators have ...

With another nod to Rodney Dangerfield, this recovery still isn't getting any respect. Despite three consecutive quarters of growth, solid gains in manufacturing activity since last summer...

Is the consumer back? On the surface, that question would seem to be highly premature, if not downright silly. After all, household circumstances are more grim than robust. The jobless rate hovers just ...

Friday's all-important jobs report contained few surprises and confirmed the widespread perception that the economy remains firmly on a recovery path. To be sure...

Is the magic gone? For a while last year, the moribund housing industry looked like it was finally emerging from the throes of the worst collapse in modern history. That was no small feat - nor were ...

When we hear inflation hawks warning that the Fed is running the risk of spurring an inflationary outbreak we are reminded of that old Wendy's hamburger commercial...

It will take a painfully long time before the damage from the Great Recession is fully repaired, but the healing process is definitely underway. The financial system is ...

It wasn't exactly an Oscar-worthy performance, but the reviews for the February employment report were generally positive. To be sure, the critics had ...

There were more downs than ups in the mix of economic data this week, which only added to the widespread uncertainty regarding the strength of the nascent recovery. Indeed, the growing anxiety about the recovery's progress is ...

Just what we needed - another snowstorm to muddy the economy's performance. As it is, economists are scratching their heads over ...

When uncle Joe had news to tell the family, he always asked: do you want to hear the good part first, or the bad? Being family-oriented citizens with a positive bent, we decided to ...

Washington took center stage in the financial arena this week, as president Obama delivered the State of the Union message, a divided Senate confirmed Fed chairman Bernanke for a second term, an embattled Treasury Secretary was...

It never ceases to amaze us how perceptions about the economy can swing from one extreme to the other in the blink of an eye. A few months ago...

The bean counters in Washington are not exactly providing uplifting statistics to start the new year. In fact, the data so far have been downright disappointing. Last Friday's report on the employment situation...

With Friday's release of the December employment report - the most important of the all monthly economic releases - a key question remains unanswered...

The biggest uncertainty facing financial markets and policymakers in 2010 is the shape and strength of the economic recovery that is now emerging following the worst U.S. economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Will the upturn ...