William Sluis

PRODUCER PRICES Worries inflated Inflation may be moving forward at a glacial pace, but don't tell that to corporate executives. Even modest price pressures loom large for those in the...

EMPLOYMENT Pink slips pile up As Americans contemplate their jobs, a new mood is taking over. Some are looking over their shoulders, watching for a boss carrying a clipboard--or a...

GDP Where's rebound? When Americans ask about an economy that continues to bump along, they get an almost daily litany: The good times lie just ahead. Or at least they...

TRADE GAP Exports lethargic As pat answers go, it was one of the most fashionable: If the U.S. trade deficit were to narrow, benefits would flow to countries bordering the...

RETAIL SALES Shoppers run dry Without the American consumer, the global economy would have long ago tumbled into recession. With layoffs and cutbacks becoming everyday events, and corporations growing ever-tighter...

EMPLOYMENT Shaded by layoffs Although talk of slowdown has been in the air for months, one area of the economy that has put up resistance is the job market, which--historically...

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE `A bit brighter' In an economy based largely on the handling of information, it remains to be seen whether a severe slump in manufacturing can be contained or...

HOUSING STARTS Hammering away Americans have suffered some unexpected shocks in recent months, as the price of fuel soared, computer and software manufacturers fell on hard times and an unaccustomed...

PRICE PROGNOSIS Inflation's pulse Those who insist inflation has been buried are ignoring some vital signs that indicate the monster may be reawakening. To wit: a restless push upward in...

CONSUMER CREDIT Debt accumulates The economy's stumbles haven't done much to deter Americans from shopping, although reports of free-spending habits are growing fewer. Gone are consumers storming the stores, credit...