William Sluis

JOB MARKET Not really rosy When an economy sheds upwards of 1.5 million jobs, in what is officially dubbed a recession, a comeback involving 66,000 new positions would hardly seem...

CONFIDENCE Bouncing back As Americans hear glowing reports that there was no recession after all, or that it was too mild to notice, their ears perk up. After all, it...

HOUSING STARTS Feeling the pinch Americans are quick to spot a tale that is altogether too good to be true. So when they hear that last year's recession was all...

THE ECONOMY Tide turns slowly Economists, always eager to be the first to detect a trend, have been quick to declare that the recession is over. A few, in fact,...

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE Smiling faces For nearly a year, Americans have been smiling through a grimace, enduring a slowdown that, by some accounts, is the mildest recession in a half century....

HOME CONSTRUCTION Hammering away The construction industry continues to grind out near-record numbers of new homes, and Americans line up to buy. Recession? What recession? Through economic rain or shine,...

RETAIL SALES Autos downshift The economy has been operating as a two-legged stool, getting wobbly support from spending by consumers and government. The third leg of the stool--business--remains hamstrung by...

PRODUCTIVITY Working harder Americans make it a point to rub their eyes and seek more coffee when economists talk about labor productivity and costs. Yet unless businesses can squeeze more...

GDP One last dip If there is one thing Americans almost universally share, it is a belief in progress. So when the economy stands still, it creates plenty of impatience....

LEADING INDICATORS Hopeful signposts From Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan on down, Americans display a natural skepticism when they are told that the economy is working on a V-shaped recovery....