Finance

In an annual rite of passage, over a million Americans will enroll in their first economics class in the fall, and as the field of economics has evolved, these introductory classes are changing, too. Many economists these days view what we are teaching not so much as a specific subject matter but as a set […]

Last week’s report on second-quarter gross domestic product showed that the economy slowed last spring. It also came exactly 10 years since the Great Recession ended, making this officially the longest expansion in American history. (Well, probably. More on that in a second.) So perhaps it’s no surprise that forecasters, investors and ordinary people are

The Federal Reserve this week will most likely cut interest rates for the first time since 2008, when the economy was mired in a deep recession, as the central bank tries to keep a record economic expansion from petering out. The expected change, while likely to be small, will end an era of gradual rate

McDonald’s newly modernized stores and growth in delivery helped the world’s largest hamburger chain serve up the biggest increase in global sales at established locations during the second quarter in seven years. The Chicago-based chain reported a 6.5 % gain in sales at locations opened at least 13 months. It marked the biggest gain since

U.S. stock indexes rose Friday following strong profit reports from Google’s parent company, Twitter and other big corporations. The S&P 500 again flirted with its record and was on track to close out its third winning week in the last four. Companies are nearly midway through earnings season, and reports have generally been better than

“I was shocked,” Mr. Harvey said. “I never would have expected that.” Variable annuities generally impose “surrender charges” that investors must pay if they want to sell their funds before a set period of, say, 10 years. These charges and various other fees have made variable annuities the subject of repeated warnings by experts, including

President Donald Trump has vowed to slap tariffs on Apple’s Mac Pros if the company shifts production of the computer from Texas to China. The pledge made in a Friday tweet rebuffs Apple’s attempt to shield its products from taxes being imposed on goods made in China as part of Trump administration’s trade war with

Here are some questions and answers about cremation: What does the price of a cremation include? A basic cremation — called “direct” cremation by funeral homes — generally includes pickup and transportation of the body, filing necessary paperwork, the actual cremation and the return of the ashes to the family, said Joshua Slocum, executive director

The U.S. economy slowed sharply in the April-June quarter even as consumers stepped up their spending. The gross domestic product, the economy’s total output of goods and services, grew at a 2.1% annual rate last quarter, down from a 3.1% gain in the first quarter, the Commerce Department estimated Friday. But consumer spending, which drives

Consumers affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach (that’s most U.S. adults who have credit) can get their names on the list to get free credit monitoring and/or monetary compensation. You can see if you’re included by visiting the Equifax Data Breach Settlement website. But the compensation you apply for may not be what you