William Sluis

As retailers cast a wary eye on the critical back-to-school selling season, some analysts believe Americans have begun to scale back expenditures. A spotty pattern of buying has emerged over...

The Federal Reserve has been rolling the dice with monetary policy for more than 13 months, trying to slow the economy. But workers fret that when the last die is...

For a couple of months this spring, a slowdown of the fast-stepping economy seemed like a sure thing. Some analysts praised the "pause that refreshes," while others said the Federal...

Americans' romance with foreign-made goods is borne on a tide of money from overseas. Cash sent to buy goods from distant lands comes washing back, in the general direction of...

There are so many ways to measure inflation that the Federal Reserve must constantly decide by which star to set sail. Does it hoist its spinnaker on prices at the...

Last week's decision by the Federal Reserve to hold interest rates steady appears to be underpinned by expectations that the fire under the economy's steam kettle is set on low....

If the economy is slowing, as many of the experts speculate, how do they explain a near-record level of consumer confidence? When asked about the future, Americans describe it as...

The list of economic signposts pointing to slower growth keeps lengthening, with housing, retail sales, the auto industry and the job market but a few of the new indications. Yet...

As the hoo-ha over Y2K fades into the dim recesses of time, economists are noting a disturbing trend: Just about every month since the non-crisis ended, Americans are displaying less...

To the traffic cops at the Federal Reserve, fast-spending Americans have become scofflaws, ignoring speed limits, traffic lights and no-passing zones. The central bankers, with a half-dozen interest rate increases...