William Sluis

SPENDING MEASURES Watching consumers Now that the easiest credit in 46 years has passed into history, the question is whether consumers will pull back on buying. A burst of expenditures--a...

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT Growth speeds up Expectations that the global economy might overheat, sending interest rates off the charts, were unthinkable as recently as the beginning of this year. Since...

HOUSING STARTS Buying spree tapers off While other aspects of the economy have faltered, then revived, the nation's housing construction industry has provided a foundation as firm as steel set...

PRODUCER PRICE INDEX Big gain tied to wild oil While periods of inflation in recent years have tended to be relatively mild and short, one element in the price mix...

EMPLOYMENT More hiring forecast After a virtual economywide jobs freeze that lasted for about three years, hiring is picking up. In the first three months of 2004, nearly 600,000 positions...

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE Rattled by gas prices In an economy that is heavily dependent on spending, any drag on consumers' attitudes is bound to create concern. Despite a general rebound in...

HOUSING STARTS Rate anxiety builds A sudden spike in mortgage rates, fed by fears of inflation, threatens to remove the helium from the high-flying market for real estate. Anxiety over...

RETAIL SALES Early Easter no help Thanks to houses that function as piggy banks, consumers worry less than ever about stacking up debts to the ceiling, the roof and beyond....

LABOR AWAKES April job growth seen After a long winter's slumber, the job market awoke with a start in March, generating 308,000 new positions, a number not seen in about...

FED WATCH Rate rumors heat up To the surprise of many, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has minced few words in recent days about interest rates, saying "they must rise...