optimism

These days, 20-somethings aren't just the young and the restless -- they're the young and the anxious. According to The PNC Financial Services Group's Financial Independence Survey, that demographic is full of financial fears.

It was probably inevitable after the worst recession in decades: Americans now view their future retirements differently than they did 10 years ago. But here's a shocker: According to the SunAmerica Retirement Re-Set Study, their overall attitudes toward this future are largely positive.

When it comes to the the state of their family finances, Americans seem to be moving toward the "acceptance" stage. Some of us think our own household scenarios will get better in the coming year, some of us dread things getting worse, but mostly, we expect more of the same.

The dollar and U.S. stock futures rose following President Barack Obama's announcement late Sunday night that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. Analysts said the boost to the currency was a signal of greater confidence in the United States and a reduction in national security risks.

Reports from the ultra-elite Swiss meeting show that CEOs are far more optimistic than they've been for years. Considering their cash hoards, an M&A wave is likely. But they're unmoved by the idea that they should create societal value.

For the 22nd-straight month, the central bank kept its target interest rate at 0% to 0.25%. It made no new asset purchases and no changes to QE2, its $600 billion, eight-month bond-buying program. Housing and hiring are two main areas of concern in a slow-growth economy.

Investor sentiment is a remarkably accurate contrarian indicator: When investors become exuberantly bullish, the market is nearing a high, and when investors are strongly bearish, market lows are a good bet. Be warned: Right now, the charts show the sort of optimism that precedes a fall.

The government today is often blamed for causing economic uncertainty, which some point to as the source of all the economy's woes. But there's a deeper issue in play than the fact that we have to guess what's coming next: The problem is the bias in our guesses.

Historically, the American Dream has taken many forms. In truth, the dream defies one succinct definition. For some people the dream takes its form as a sprawling home, filled with a big family, with opportunities in education and employment for all. For other people the dream is realized simply as...