Key indicator could be signaling recession
Economists are debating whether the U.S. is in a recession, but one key indicator suggests strongly that we are. The Chicago Federal Reserve's national activity index has over the years...
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Tech stocks off; Anixter surges
Stocks endured a volatile week, with the Dow Jones industrial average having three triple-digit moves before ending down less than 1 percent. Nevertheless, among the 50 largest companies in Illinois...
IRS steps up enforcement
As the tax deadline approaches, are you concerned not only about finishing, but about an audit? You may have good reason. The Internal Revenue Service has substantially increased the amount...
Nation’s debt burden continues to grow
Americans' total household debt, including mortgages and consumer credit, as a percentage of total disposable personal income -- essentially, income minus taxes -- has risen dramatically since the mid-1970s. That...
How stocks have reacted to interest rate cuts
Investors will be closely watching the Federal Reserve meeting Tuesday to see if policymakers cut interest rates, as many analysts expect. Since the beginning of the last decade, the Fed...
Ex-Andersen employees feel vindicated
CHICAGO - Jim Cunha's phone started ringing long before he left for work yesterday, as his former colleagues at the Andersen accounting firm called him to give him the good...
Andersen alumni see ruling as vindication
Jim Cunha's phone started ringing long before he left for work Tuesday morning, as his former colleagues at the Andersen accounting firm called him to give him the good news....
Options lose ground in race to reward CEOs
First, options were the problem. Now, in some eyes, the solution is the problem. Amid a backlash against corporate excesses and the move to have them count as an expense...
Enhanced duties, responsibilities add up to more pay
When it comes to executive compensation, chief executive officers aren't the only ones in the million-dollar club. A Tribune study of chief financial officers at the largest 25 publicly traded...
Majority-vote measure loses
Caterpillar Inc. shareholders voted down a proposal designed to dramatically change the way company directors are elected, but backers were cheered by unexpectedly solid support for the measure. Wall Street...