U.S. factories made more cars, computers and airplanes last month, a hopeful sign that manufacturing is recovering after a weak spring. Industrial production increased 0.6 percent in July from June, the fourth straight monthly increase, the Fed reports.
Europe is edging closer to recession, dragged down by the crippling debt problems of the 17-country eurozone, official figures showed Tuesday: The economies of both the eurozone and the full EU shrank by 0.2% in the second quarter, after a flat first quarter.
The eurozone has sunk back into its second recession since 2009, a Reuters poll predicted on Thursday, as the debt crisis that has ravaged the continent for over two years continues to stifle growth.
Some of the world's most prominent hedge fund managers are betting against the eurozone -- and not just the weak little countries -- we're talking Germany and France. Here's why that's bad news for all of us.
The Atlantic Ocean is wide, but maybe not wide enough. On Thursday, markets had a mixed reaction to the deepening economic crisis in Europe. Some sources reported that the European Central Bank would step in. But in the U.S., small business owners are growing nervous.
The capital of Pennsylvania just fell into bankruptcy. What? You didn't hear? Neither did the financial markets -- yet. The day after Harrisburg bit the bullet, the Dow barely trembled, while the Nasdaq actually rose slightly. But two of our smartest investors seem to think this is a very big deal indeed.
Zero jobs were created in August. Does that, by itself, augur another recession? Not necessarily -- but add the state of consumer confidence, and top it off with Wall Street skittishness, and all signs point to trouble ahead. Government economists, however, are predicting growth. Here's why they may be wrong.
Companies with strong balance sheets and high dividends will be among the few safe investment harbors if the economy continues to cool -- and given today's conditions, it's hard to imagine how the recent stock market rally could last much longer. Here are five dividend stocks that should keep paying strong returns.
Is America headed for the Great Recession, part two? The talking heads are still in heated debate on the issue. But for those of us who aren't pundits, there's a more important question: What should we be doing now, just in case economic lightning does strike twice?
Last year, stocks rose as cost-cutting helped businesses set record profits. But its not too late to buy in, says venture capitalist Peter Cohan: With the corporate world's focus shifting to sales growth, and profits likely to beat expectations, stocks still look undervalued.
The S&P 500 has rebounded 20% since its July 2010 low, which comes as bad news to perma-bears like Nouriel Roubini, Gary Shilling and Bill Gross, all of whom predicted the opposite. This raises several questions about how stocks move, and why pundits say the things they do.
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.
Manufacturing activity in the mid-Atlantic region showed modest improvement in October, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, which saw its Business Outlook Survey rise to 1.0. However, despite that return to positive territory overall, key index components continued to reveal economic softness.
