Europe's shakiest economies managed to ride out a sovereign debt crisis this spring with a lot of help from their more stable neighbors and the major central banks. But new data suggests we may soon see a replay of the debt default crisis.
U.S. economic growth slowed to an anemic 1.6% pace in the second quarter, due primarily to a worsening trade imbalance. The sole ray of light in the Commerce Department's report was that the downward revision was not as severe as economists had expected.
Despite what so many pundits say, the most accurate economic predictor -- the yield curve -- says we're not heading for a double-dip recession. But don't celebrate too much: experts still see sluggish growth ahead.
Some of Friday's top online stories for investors, including why most double-dip predictions are probably wrong, how to play the GM IPO, and one gloom and doom bear's view.
Investors spooked by deflation and a possible double dip could be adding much more risk in buying Treasurys at current prices than they realize. And some shrewd investors have been exiting Treasurys.
The departure of Christina Romer as chair of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers ought to prompt a rethink of U.S. economic policy -- but it won't, even though Friday's jobs numbers showed tepid progress on creating jobs for the millions put out of work by the recession.
The Institute for Supply Management's July reading showed the vital U.S. services sector expanding faster in July, reducing the risk of a double-dip recession. July's data also point to an increase in hiring.
Among today's top online investing news: more evidence that there will not be a double-dip recession, why you shouldn't send your kids to college, and is Li Lu really Warren Buffett's likely successor?
The U.S. economy downshifted in the second quarter to a tepid 2.4% growth rate. Offsetting that news was the first-quarter GDP growth, which was revised upward to 3.7% from the previously estimated 2.7%.
U.S. durable goods orders unexpectedly fell 1% in June, their largest decline since August 2009. That was in sharp contrast to the predictions of the Bloomberg survey, which had forecast orders to increase 1%. The drop provides more evidence that the nation's economic recovery has slowed.
An economic indicator with a perfect 40-year history of predicting recessions just signaled that a double-dip is coming for sure: On Friday, the Economic Cycle Research Institute's Weekly Leading Index growth rate broke below -10%.
In his latest Capitol Hill testimony, the Fed chairman said the U.S. economic outlook is "unusually uncertain," and he was fairly opaque about his plans. But that doesn't mean he won't act. Here's a look at some likely options.
June%u2019s 0.2% dip in the Leading Economic Index provided more evidence that the U.S. economic recovery has slowed, and that the slowdown will continue into autumn -- something that will complicate policymakers' task of lowering the nation's high unemployment rate.
A new survey by the National Association of Business Economics shows the U.S. recovery continued through the second quarter, although at a slower pace than earlier in the year. The group cautioned that the European debt crisis will negatively impact U.S. firms.
