William Sluis

RETAIL SALES `Reasonable track' During the long, not-so-hot days of summer, economists have been puzzling over what has happened to the American consumer. As sales in stores and auto dealerships...

FEDERAL RESERVE Inflation's foe to testify The inflation drumbeat that resounded through the economy in the spring and early summer has slowed, as the price of gasoline sinks, at least...

OIL PRICES A convenient scapegoat The high-octane price of gasoline has provided a one-size-fits-all punching bag for those anointed to explain a recent soft patch in the economy. Are sales...

ECONOMY Oil among factors cooling GDP optimism For more than a year, the economy has been chugging forward at a solid growth rate averaging more than 4 percent. With such...

HOMES Building boom goes on The puzzling performance of the economy at midsummer has experts wondering which sector will be the next to disappoint. A jump in the price of...

RETAIL SALES Getting back on track Americans running to get to the shopping mall encountered a slippery slope leading from the oil patch in June, and things haven't been the...

EMPLOYMENT Hiring picks back up Instead of traveling the high road on cruise control, the economy has motored through the summer on a washboard side lane. The manufacturing sector has...

ECONOMIC GROWTH Unseasonable chill Just as activity seemed to be sailing along, the economy encountered an ill wind on the very threshold of summer. The unexpected blast sent a chill...

HOUSING STARTS Let good times roll on If, as many believe, the economy is being held aloft by higher and higher levels of debt, thanks to interest rates remaining near...

RETAIL SALES A speed bump Cash registers ringing at a hyperventilated pace have become almost routine for the nation's retailers, thanks to consumers wielding cash from home refinancings and tax...