alan greenspan

The oracles who read economic tea leaves have a host of conventional forecasting tools, but housing starts and job growth figures can only tell you so much. To cut through the haze of data, sometimes it takes an unconventional indicator -- for example, the Hair Index.

The former Fed chief told CNBC Friday that the Fed's policy to boost liquidity is helping stock values. "I think we are underestimating. . .how important asset prices, very specifically equity prices, are not only to shareholders but the economy as a whole," he said.

The U.S. must act to rein in its massive budget deficits or face the risk of a bond market crisis, former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday. If deficits begin to frighten the bond market, interest rates will rise, undermining the recovery, and possibly causing a double-dip recession.

Bernanke's zero-interest-rate policy is backfiring. Only the wealthy benefit from rising financial assets, as average Americans take on more debt and grow poorer. Worse, risky speculation is again being rewarded.

Data from the IRS shows that 2,840 households reporting at least $1 million in income on their tax returns that year also collected a total of $18.6 million in unemployment benefits in 2008.

To say that Billy Glynn expresses controversial, self-styled views for solving America's economic woes is putting it mildly. A self-described "think tank of one," the venture capitalist and entrepreneur is used to raising money by the millions in fields from music technology to molecular science;...

America's big income disparity is creating an economy that's dependent on the spending and investing of the wealthiest. As a result, economic growth may increasingly mean 95% of Americans are still not doing better financially.

The housing crisis is getting worse and spreading to more places across the country. Home foreclosures are up in the Northwest and Midwest, areas that had previously escaped the brunt of the mortgage crisis, says real estate data firm RealtyTrac. Foreclosure rates in Utah, Idaho, Illinois and...

Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan is calling for the complete repeal of the Bush tax cuts, a position that goes further than that of the White House. President Obama advocates keeping tax rates steady for all but the richest Americans.

Here's news from the business world and other money matters to watch out for Monday (last updated 7:56 a.m. ET): Greenspan: Recovery 'On Pause': Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said over the weekend that the U.S. economy is taking a breather of sorts. "We're in a pause in a...