Consumers battered by a slumping housing market and a credit crunch slowed the growth in spending to the smallest amount in four months. In another sign of weakness, construction activity fell by a larger-than-expected amount. ...more

December 1, 2007

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday hinted that another interest rate cut may be needed to bolster the economy. The worsening credit crunch, a deepening housing slump and rising energy prices probably will create some "headwinds for the consumer in the months ahead," he said. ...more

November 30, 2007

Rising foreclosures will lead to billions of dollars in lost economic activity next year in the nation's major metropolitan areas, but homeowners and financial institutions have the ability to work together to contain the effects, according to a report compiled for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. ...more

November 28, 2007

With Christmas only about eight weeks away, shoppers are feeling more forlorn about the economy than they have since hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered the Gulf Coast two years ago. ...more

October 31, 2007

Ivy Zelman's view of the U.S. housing market is gloomy, but it's probably the most realistic. ...more

October 26, 2007

Jim Dillon is convinced it's time he and other independent boat dealers build an armada. ...more

October 23, 2007

Economists have long warned that the world economy could not fly forever on the single engine of American demand. A one-engined plane is more likely to crash. ...more

October 10, 2007

It's tough to figure out where the economy is headed, and some folks think today's biggest risk is inflation, not recession. Still, in trimming the federal funds rate recently, the Federal Reserve noted 'the tightening of credit conditions' could 'restrain economic growth.' ...more

September 30, 2007

U.S. home prices have fallen further since mid-2006 than during the 1990-91 recession, and professional traders bet they'll plunge up to 10 percent more the next year. ...more

September 27, 2007

The first significant crack in the economy's foundation appeared when a government report last week showed employers cut jobs for the first time in four years. But what's going to happen next? ...more

September 11, 2007