William Sluis

HOUSING STARTS Lean wallets pinch gains As home prices ratchet higher, creating fears of a bubble, American workers are in a squeeze. Not only are they pouring record numbers of...

TRADE DEFICIT Tough to trim When it comes to America's nettlesome and growing trade deficit, leaders on all sides of the world share a single view: Don't rock the boat....

CHAIN STORE SALES Buoyed by early Easter The American consumer, ever tenacious, resembles the proverbial lobster in a stewpot, oblivious as the heat continues to rise. Gasoline prices have hit...

INFLATION Counting rate hikes With Wall Street's bull run nearly 2 1/2 years old, investors are on guard against any unexpected April Fool's joke that could send prices tumbling. Their...

FEDERAL RESERVE Get ready for No. 7 After engineering a half-dozen hikes in short-term interest rates since late June, the Federal Reserve remains willing to go further to head off...

HOUSING Is there a bubble or not? A somber mood settled over Wall Street last week as traders observed the fifth anniversary of the topping-out of the technology "bubble." Investors...

TRADE GAP Dire dollar direction Although Americans studiously avoid worrying about their country's deep and worsening trade deficit, its effect on the dollar offers a clear-cut negative: As the currency...

JOBS Growth alters picture Job seekers face a dilemma over how fast the economy can grow. With expansion running at less than a 4 percent rate, companies remain reluctant to...

State regulators across the country are conducting a widening investigation into what they call a kickback scheme under which developers and lenders steer title insurance business to certain companies. The...

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE A residue of wariness Although some are describing it as nearly the best of all possible worlds, many Americans harbor a hunch that the economic recovery remains fragile....