In a rare coordinated move, the Federal Reserve and other major central banks from around the world slashed interest rates Wednesday to prevent a mushrooming financial crisis from becoming a global economic meltdown. ...more

October 8, 2008

Wall Street suffered through another extraordinary and traumatic session Monday, with the Dow Jones industrials plunging as much as 800 points - their largest one-day point drop - before recovering to close with a loss of 370. The catalyst for the selling, which also took the Dow below 10,000 for the first time in four years, was investors' growing despair that the spreading credit crisis will take a heavy toll around the world. ...more

October 6, 2008

It will be one of the world's largest asset management firms with an impressive $700 billion war chest. Nothing less than the global economy depends on its success. And the Treasury Department has barely a month to get it up and running. ...more

October 4, 2008

The Crash of 2008, which is now wiping out trillions of dollars of our people's wealth, is, like the Crash of 1929, likely to mark the end of one era and the onset of another. ...more

September 23, 2008

In keeping with today's theme (see the story at right), I thought I would open by mentioning "Godchildren," by Nicholas Coleridge (Thomas Dunne Books, $25.95). The British author offers a novel about the British upper class, specifically a business tycoon's six godchildren: the arrogant one, the "devastatingly beautiful" one, the awkward one, the dependable one, the troubled one and the cutup. ...more

September 7, 2008

Jobless claims rose unexpectedly last week, the government said Thursday, while companies responded to the slowing economy by producing more with fewer workers. ...more

September 5, 2008

As American students prepare to head back to school, parents should prepare for the imminent advertising blitz. Commercials selling everything from laptops to lunch boxes will soon jam the airwaves as companies try to explain how their latest products will help make this school year a success. ...more

August 16, 2008

The buck may be turning into a bull. The U.S. dollar extended its recent rally against major currencies on Friday as commodities fell and European and Japanese economies faltered. After sliding for years, the dollar may finally be on the way back up, some analysts say. ...more

August 16, 2008

According to a report released last month, Florida is the fifth worst state in the nation when it comes to graduating black males, trailing only Louisiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan. Only 38 percent of black males in Florida graduate on time, according to the Schott Foundation for Public Education. ...more

August 3, 2008

Two polar bears, known in these parts as ice bears, amble and yawn on an iceberg. The mother and her 2-year-old cub stand out light yellow against bright white and glacial blue - these mascots of the global warming movement seem majestically content on an Arctic summer day. ...more

July 26, 2008