William Sluis

1. Holiday sales may beat expectations To hear retailers tell it, there's not much cause for any ho ho hos. Pessimistic merchants are hoping that a burst of activity by...

1. Fed to meet, weigh rate cuts If Wall Street had its way, the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates every day -- and twice on Mondays. But in the...

1. New jobs may start to wane Worries about the economy seem to have bypassed the job market, where unemployment remains at 4.7 percent. But the good news may be...

1. In the thick of the housing struggle The home construction industry may be in a state of siege, but some optimists believe the worst will soon be over. A...

1. Holiday shopping outlook gloomy As the holiday shopping season looms, Americans are displaying a long list of worries, headed up by plummeting values for houses. A fresh analysis comes...

When you're lucky enough to have grandkids who possess a hankering for books, it's not easy to ignore their desire to indulge their passion by way of a road trip....

1. Exports booming, but oil tops gain Pessimism about housing has sent shock waves through the economy. But manufacturers who ship items overseas are seeing improvement, on the back of...

Over a span of a half-dozen years, the dollar has taken a tumble of about 35 percent, leading to many assumptions. Among them: It's bad news for American tourists abroad...

1. Housing sector's 'perfect storm' While the rest of the economy remains relatively robust, the housing industry is in a severe slowdown. Construction is off by nearly half from levels...