Paul Wiseman

January 10, 2011 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - Ninety percent of the work force has a job, the same as a year ago. But last year, people were still worried about getting laid off. Today, they aren't.The result is a renewed confidence that's boosted retail sales - just what's needed to spark what economists call a "virtuous cycle": Higher consumer spending raises company profits, which spurs hiring, which fuels more spending and growth.

By Paul Wiseman

5 minute read

January 05, 2012 | Daily Report Online

President Barack Obama gets mediocre marks for his handling of the economy and Mitt Romney easily outpolls his Republican rivals in an Associated Press survey of economists.The economy-and who bears responsibility for it-is likely to be a decisive issue when voters to go the polls next November.The economy is still struggling to recover from the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

By Derek Kravitz and Paul Wiseman

7 minute read

February 09, 2011 | Daily Report Online

The U.S. labor force has been split into two groups: the relieved and the desperate.If you have a job, you can exhale; you're less likely to lose it than at any point in at least 14 years.If you're unemployed Good luck. Finding a job remains a struggle 20 months after the recession technically ended. Employers won't likely step up hiring until they feel more confident about the economy.

By Derek Kravitz and Paul Wiseman

6 minute read

October 12, 2011 | Daily Report Online

Christopher Sims and Thomas Sargent have no simple solutions to the global economic crisis. But the work that won them the Nobel Prize in economics is guiding central bankers and policymakers in their search for answers.The two Americans, both 68, were honored for their research in the 1970s and '80s on the cause-and-effect relationship between the economy and government policy.

By Geoff Mulvihill and Paul Wiseman

5 minute read

November 01, 2010 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - An economy growing 2 percent a year might be tolerable in normal times. Today, it's a near-disaster.A growth rate of 5 percent or higher is needed to put a major dent in the nation's 9.6 percent unemployment rate. Two reasons why that's unlikely well into next year and maybe beyond:- Construction - both residential and commercial - collapsed last year.

By PAUL WISEMAN

4 minute read

January 13, 2011 | Daily Report Online

Ninety percent of the work force has a job, the same as a year ago. But last year, people were still worried about getting laid off. Today, they aren't.The result is a renewed confidence that's boosted retail sales - just what's needed to spark what economists call a "virtuous cycle": Higher consumer spending raises company profits, which spurs hiring, which fuels more spending and growth.

By Paul Wiseman

5 minute read

June 30, 2011 | Daily Report Online

Farewell and good riddance to the first half of 2011-six months that are ending as sour for the economy as they began.Most analysts say economic growth will perk up in the second half of the year. The reason is that the main causes of the slowdown-high oil prices and manufacturing delays because of the disaster in Japan-have started to fade.

By Christopher S. Rugaber and Paul Wiseman

4 minute read

July 06, 2011 | Daily Report Online

This is one anniversary few feel like celebrating.Two years after economists say the Great Recession ended, the recovery has been the weakest and most lopsided of any since the 1930s.After previous recessions, people in all income groups tended to benefit. This time, ordinary Americans are struggling with job insecurity, too much debt and pay raises that haven't kept up with prices at the grocery store and gas station.

By Paul Wiseman

6 minute read

November 03, 2010 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - The Republicans' sweeping gains in Tuesday's elections hardly guarantee they can enact their own prescriptions for the ailing economy.Despite their capture of the House and near-takeover of the Senate, Republicans will still lack the votes to ram through their agenda of new tax and spending cuts and looser regulation.

By PAUL WISEMAN

4 minute read

August 15, 2011 | Daily Report Online

Three years ago, a financial crisis triggered by bad mortgage investments spread from U.S. banks to Europe. Panicky financial markets tanked.Now, fear is running in the opposite direction. Worries about toxic government debt held by European banks have hammered U.S. stocks and threaten to freeze credit on both sides of the Atlantic.

By Christina Rexrode, Daniel Wagner and Paul Wiseman

6 minute read