fiscal policy

The Federal Reserve is holding off on any new actions to help the economy because stronger growth is giving it time to gauge the impact of steps it's already taken. Fed policymakers made the announcement after a two-day meeting.

No matter what Ben Bernanke actually intended, the central bank's latest push to inject money into the economy isn't resulting in a cheaper buck. And Europe's woes aren't all that's conspiring against it -- a slew of other factors are also at play.

Discussing his new economic stimulus program in Ohio, President Barack Obama regained his political swagger and ramped up his criticism of Republican leaders for failing to provide substantive policies that can help the nation's economic recovery regain momentum.

In a new survey, economists say the U.S. government should focus on promoting economic growth rather than reducing the deficit in the near term. However, 75% of them oppose another stimulus package.

Shoveling trillions of dollars into banks hasn't boosted either spending or lending. What if the federal government stopped trying to revive the economy by encouraging borrowing -- and instead dropped money straight into your bank account?

Gov. Chris Christie's first budget aims to close an $11 billion shortfall -- and it ain't pretty. The fight over it will be vicious, even considering the rough-and-tumble nature of Jersey politics.

New York Times (NYT) columnist Paul Krugman (pictured), an economist by training, an Ivy League academic by profession, and no stranger to bold proposals, has offered another big idea, recommending that the U.S. Federal Reserve double its already record-high balance sheet. Krugman wants the Fed...

Can a tiny but immensely wealthy minority keep economic policies in place that favor them at the expense of the public, and at the same time prevent much needed economic reforms that threaten their power? Indeed they can -- arguably, it's what the opponents of President Obama's New Deal-like...

You know, there have been so many errors -- in some cases they've been deliberate distortions -- about the impact of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's innovative New Deal policies on the U.S. economy, that we should take a moment to analyze the facts of history. Accordingly, we cite the late, great...

It's an inconvenient truth, to borrow a quote from Al Gore, but it's one that investors should heed, if they seek a U.S. economy capable of sustainable GDP growth and an investment stance that's correct for the age, the new era. The truth: laissez-faire capitalism -- like orthodox communism -- has...