discretionary spending

Gas prices have finally begun to reflect the falling price of oil, which dipped from nearly $100 a barrel in July to less than $78 now. A gallon of regular averaged $3.408 Tuesday, down from $3.662 a month ago. That's excellent news for the nation's retailers as we approach the holiday shopping season.

The American consumer's financial health is showing signs of improvement, but the weak job market continues to derail the nation's economic recovery -- particularly for people in the lower income brackets, according to September's Consumer Reports Index, released on Tuesday.

The Republicans are winning this year's budget battle: Discretionary spending will decrease. But this is hardly the time for the GOP to take a victory lap: Next, the GOP will have to lower unemployment and improve the average American's daily life -- two areas where the party has historically come up short.

As the economy improves, Americans have begun splurging again. But they're limiting their indulgences to haircuts, casual dining and coffee, while continuing to forego many bigger expenditures, like vacations and dining at expensive restaurants.

As 2010 draws to a close, it looks like 2011 is likely to be another wild year for the stock market. Fear not: Here are some tips from T. Rowe Price portfolio managers on how careful investors can take advantage of drops and rebounds in the coming year.

The third-quarter earnings season got off to a reasonably positive start for retailers, with department stores hoping colder weather heats up holiday sales, even as shoppers continue to prefer discounts and generally hold back on spending.

While the federal government continues to try to pull us out of the recession by spending money it doesn't have, on a personal level Americans have dramatically tightened their spending patterns, especially those Americans that have a lot of money. According to a new Gallup poll, In August we...

The $3.8 trillion spending plan combines overly rosy projections of rapidly rising tax revenues with skyrocketing outlays in defense, entitlements and other mandatory spending, creating structural deficits above $1 trillion for a long time. Ending Bush-era tax cuts on the rich won't change that reality.