Nations, like people, occasionally get the blues; and right now the United States, normally the world's most self-confident place, is glum. ...more

August 3, 2008

Coffee chain Starbucks Corp. said Wednesday that costs related to its closure of 600 underperforming stores led it to post a loss for its fiscal third quarter. ...more

July 31, 2008

General Motors Corp., pummeled by falling U.S. sales and high gas prices, lost the global sales lead to Toyota Motor Corp. in the first half of this year, but the churning market makes it difficult to predict which automaker will end the year on top. ...more

July 24, 2008

Home prices are in free fall. Unemployment is rising. Consumer confidence is plumbing depths not seen since 1980. When will it all end? ...more

July 22, 2008

In order to sell a home in many places throughout the country, sellers need their homes to outshine the competition, must be very negotiable on price and be prepared for a months-long stretch on the market. It's enough to make some sellers sit this season out, waiting for conditions to improve. ...more

July 20, 2008

Shoppers, enticed by heavy discounts and armed with rebate checks, spent freely in June, helping to lift retailers' sales. The outlook for the back-to-school season remains tough, though, as consumers confront high gas and food prices, a slumping housing market and tighter credit. ...more

July 11, 2008

Making Choice Clearer When General Wesley Clark decided that John McCain's war record was not relevant to his candidacy for president, it made me consider McCain's sacrifice. ...more

July 7, 2008

The holiday shopping season is still months away, but a growing number of economists are predicting it could be worse than last year - which is to say, disastrous. ...more

June 26, 2008

Home prices tumbled in the Tampa Bay area in April, a slide that has continued for months and mirrors a national trend. ...more

June 25, 2008

LAKE PLACID — The bad news is that county residents are facing an economic downturn or recession, said a local economist, but the good news, it's only temporary, and will not last forever. William Pittenger, senior vice president and chief real estate economist, risk advisor with Seacoast National Bank, predicted an eventual economic upturn from a recession, which he said probably began in late 2007. Pittenger addressed more than 100 Greater Lake Placid Chamber members at last week's meeting at the Elks Club. ...more

June 18, 2008