National Economy


Deficit Spending Steals Money From Small Companies

By Robert E. Berney |  Aug 1, 1981

When the government competes with business for credit, guess who wins.  Read story

Best Practices: Manage Cash Flow

Jul 24, 2000

Cash flow management is a process that involves collecting payments, controlling disbursements, covering shortfalls, forecasting cash needs, investing idl...  Read story

Banks and Banking

The banking sector of the economy can be viewed bottom-up or top-down. The top-down view shows central banks overseeing financial activities for the entir...  Read story

Business Cycles

The business cycle is the periodic but irregular up-and-down movement in economic activity, measured by fluctuations in real gross domestic product (GDP) ...  Read story

Interest Rates

Related Terms: Banks and Banking ; Read story

Rites Of Fed Bashing

By Steve Coll |  Jun 1, 1985

THE FEDERAL RESERVE HAS DEFLECTED ALL ATTEMPTS IN THE PAST TO END ITS INDEPENDENCE. NEXT TIME, IT COULD BE A DIFFERENT STORY.  Read story

The Spirit Of Independence

By George Gendron |  Jul 1, 1985

If the enemy of any respectable journalist is boredom and predictability, then the American economy over the past 10 years has been a business journalist'...  Read story

Principles Of Kemponomics

Aug 1, 1985

Jack Kemp is positioning himself to run for the Presidency in 1988 as the candidate of the entrepreneur. He has adopted the language of economic growth a...  Read story

Forecaster Gary Shilling

Nov 1, 1986

They used to say that this maverick economist was wrong about his warnings of disinflation and depression. Now, they say he was just a bit early.  Read story

Motion Without Movement

By JAY FINEGAN |  Jan 1, 1988

A diary of official Washington in the midst of an economic crisis  Read story

Washington Insiders;

Jan 1, 1988

Whether or not the plunge in stock prices drives the nation into a depression, it has already driven American business to rework many of its assumptions abou...  Read story

Horse? What Horse?

By John S. Gallant |  Mar 1, 1988

You succinctly illustrated a growing threat to American business and the U.S. economy. You also offered keen insights into the outdated beliefs that driv...  Read story

Fear Not

By John Case |  Jun 1, 1994

How fundamental changes in the economy make inflation in the near future highly unlikely.  Read story

Credit Loosens (for Now)

By Jill Andresky Fraser |  Aug 1, 1994

Chart showing what types of companies were able to increase their credit availability in 1993.  Read story

Fed Begins Survey of Small Businesses

By Matt Quinn

June 11, 2004 -- The Federal Reserve announced on Thursday that it had begun its latest Survey of Small Business Finances. The survey is ...  Read story

As Interest Rates Rise, Small Businesses Look Out

By Matt Quinn

July 1, 2004 -- All that cheap capital that has helped the economy recover in the last few years just got a little bit more expensive.Read story

Growth in Consumer Prices Looks Certain to Spur Rate Hike

By Matt Quinn

June 15, 2004 -- U.S. consumer prices surged 0.6 percent in May, largely due to soaring energy costs. The report by the Labor Department ...  Read story

As Interest Rates Rise, Small Businesses Look Out

By Matt Quinn

July 1, 2004 -- All that cheap capital that has helped the economy recover in the last few years just got a little bit more expensive.Read story

VC-Backed Companies Outperform Rest of Economy, Says Study

By Matt Quinn

July 26, 2004 -- Companies getting a hand from venture capitalists are driving the economy, according to a report by the National Venture...  Read story

GDP Growth Slows in Second Quarter

By Matt Quinn

August 30, 2004 -- The U.S. economy expanded at a slower pace in the second quarter than originally estimated thanks mostly to a larger t...  Read story

Fed Raises Rates, Believes Economy Will Accelerate

By Matt Quinn

August 11, 2004 -- The Federal Reserve raised its short-term interest rate target by a quarter-point for the second time this year on Tue...  Read story

Second-quarter GDP Revised Upward

By Michael Aneiro

Sept. 29, 2004 --The U.S. economy grew at a rate of 3.3% in the second quarter of 2004, an increase from earlier estimates but still the l...  Read story

Offshoring Has Little Effect on U.S. Economy

By Michael Aneiro

Sept. 28, 2004 -- Despite a recent surge in offshoring and its emergence as a key issue this election season, there remains little eviden...  Read story

Consumer Expectations Improve Consumer Expectations Improve

By Jonathan Steiman

January 20, 2005 --The Conference Board, an economic research group in New York, announced today that the leading economic indicator for D...  Read story

Economy Perking Up

By Stephanie Clifford |  Jan 1, 2005

Jan. 21, 2005 -- The economy's temperature is improving, according to a slew of recent economic reports. Cheaper oil meant consumer price...  Read story

More Expected Rate Hikes

By Jonathan Steiman |  Feb 3, 2005

Feb. 4, 2005 -- For the sixth time since June, the Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates on Wednesday, and signaled that futur...  Read story

Small Businesses See Rosy 2005

By Darren Dahl |  Feb 24, 2005

Feb. 24, 2005 -- Growth in the nation’s gross domestic product coupled with an increase in the number of new jobs added and a rebound i...  Read story

Leading Indicator Falls in March

By Jonathan Steiman |  Apr 22, 2005

April 22, 2005 - A major indicator used to predict future economic activity fell in March, a sign that economic expansion in America may ...  Read story

Small Cities Innovate, Too

By Jena Wuu |  Aug 4, 2005

August 4, 2005 --Highly populated cities aren't the only areas that foster innovation, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of...  Read story

Small Businesses Withstand Another Round of Rate Hikes

By Priya Ganapati |  May 5, 2005

May 6, 2005 --The quarter percentage point hike in the interest rate by the Federal Reserve is likely to further affect small businesses, ...  Read story

Leading Indicator Falls in March

By Jonathan Steiman |  Jun 22, 2005

Data shows possible economic lag, but interest rate spread and consumer goods orders improved.  Read story

Economic Data Dips, Surges

By Max Chafkin |  Jun 30, 2005

June 30, 2005 --Reports released Thursday by the Departments of Labor and Commerce provided mixed messages on the economy, while House Dem...  Read story

Fed Intent on More Rate Increases

By Max Chafkin |  Jul 21, 2005

July 21, 2005 --Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan appeared before a Senate subcommittee Thursday, repeating his intention to continu...  Read story

Small Business Optimism Up

By Max Chafkin |  Aug 10, 2005

August 10, 2005 --The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter-point for the tenth straight time Tuesday, lending credence to re...  Read story

Small Cities Innovate, Too

By Jena Wuu |  Aug 4, 2005

August 4, 2005 --Highly populated cities aren't the only areas that foster innovation, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of...  Read story

Consumer Confidence Falls, Small Business Rises

By Angus Loten |  Aug 26, 2005

August 26, 2005 --Despite reports of sagging consumer confidence in a national survey released today, small business owners and operators ...  Read story

Interest Rates To Continue Rising

By Daniel Del'Re |  Sep 20, 2005

Sept. 20, 2005 --Economists expect the Federal Reserve to raise the rate that banks charge each other for overnight loans as the economy t...  Read story

Bernanke Nominated to Succeed Greenspan

By Kevin Ohannessian |  Oct 24, 2005

Oct. 24, 2005 --President Bush announced today that he has nominated Ben Bernanke to replace Alan Greenspan as the Chairman of the Federal...  Read story

Consumers Spend More, Worry More

By Angus Loten |  Oct 31, 2005

Oct. 31, 2005 --Americans may be increasingly concerned about the economy, but those fears haven't led to penny-pinching. In fact, just th...  Read story

CEOs Offer Their Advice to Bernanke

By Daniel Del'Re |  Nov 16, 2005

Nov. 16, 2005 -- The Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday approved the nomination of Ben Bernanke, President Bush’s Read story