Bloomberg

When it comes to predicting the U.S. economy, who has the best crystal ball? Lou Crandall, chief economist at economic advisory firm Wrightson ICAP, according to Bloomberg Markets magazine's new list of top analysts released Thursday.

After rumors last month that Yahoo had offered to buy coupon service Groupon for between $1.5 billion and $3 billion, the company is seeking an undisclosed amount of venture-capital funding at a valuation of between $2 billion to $3 billion.

U.S. companies are raising their outlook not just for oversees growth, but for domestic profits as well. The last time American executives were this optimistic, stocks climbed 39% over the next 3 1/2 years, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Banning soda for food stamp users is a good idea. And I write as someone who has not once, but twice, been on food stamps myself. I write about food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), enough to know the usual rhetorical arguments used by the various concerned groups....

Wal-Mart plans to increase the number of employees by as much as 36% in the next five years, but U.S. workers may be out of luck as the increase will fuel the retailer's International expansion. Wal-Mart Executive Vice President of human resources Susan Chambers told conference attendees in New...

President Barack Obama pushed for stricter teaching standards and a longer school year as effective methods to improve the American education system, Bloomberg News reported, citing Obama's appearance on NBC's "Today Show."

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remains the richest American with estimated assets of $54 billion, according to Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the 400 richest Americans. Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, ranks second in the U.S. with $45 billion. It's a repeat performance, as Gates,...

U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly rose to 53.5 in August, the Conference Board said, as Americans became somewhat more positive about the short-term outlook for the economy.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is gearing up for a media event on Sept. 7 at which Apple is rumored to announce 99-cent TV show rentals from major networks, a price drop of $2 compared to the current cost of purchasing a TV episode. This is a departure from past attempts at offering a TV show...

BP and spill fund czar Kenneth Feinberg is taking a lot of flak for the details of the compensation program. One issue is the likelihood that people who take payments won't be able to sue later.