With the economy showing early signs of stabilizing, it's time to start wondering: What is the 'new normal' economy going to look like?
Call it one of the recession's silver linings — with each passing day, the purchasing power of each consumer dollar is getting stronger.
Oracle Corp.'s $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc. would have minimal impact on technologies that most consumers notice.
It's not your father's pawnshop anymore.
If you've got a good job, solid credit and your home's value hasn't fallen dramatically, you're likely to benefit from the Federal Reserve's extraordinary action Wednesday to help drive mortgage rates to historic lows and revive the U.S. housing market.
Americans are lacking in basic knowledge about insurance that might help their finances during the recession, according to a new survey.
The U.S. government may be tightening its grip on the banking system, but don't expect it to change your branch's hours, tack fees onto your account or overhaul your bank's Web site.
Supermarkets should use their discount card programs that track customers' shopping habits to prevent illness by alerting people who have bought tainted foods, a leading consumer group urged Tuesday.
They were supposed to keep the good times going: Prakash Shetty, caught recently thumbing through "Singh is King" DVDs at a mall in India, and Zhu Xiaolin, who enjoys cute Adidas sportswear and Body Shop cosmetics in China.
The latest economic data provide mounting evidence that the collapse of the housing market and turmoil in financial markets have tipped the U.S. economy into recession. The question now on the minds of consumers, business owners and politicians: How deep is it going to be, and how long is it going to last?
The sale of Wachovia's deposits and other assets to Citigroup on Monday leaves the nation with three superbanks, reshaping the U.S. banking landscape in the midst of unprecedented financial upheaval.
Adrienne Radtke plans to keep riding her bike to work even if gas prices drop. Steve Pizzini got rid of his Cadillac Escalade in favor of a 16-year-old Acura and doesn't expect to have another gas-guzzler.
Despite the heavy headwinds of higher prices for food and gasoline, falling home prices and worries about losing their jobs, most American consumers are still finding a way to pay the bills. But as economists, business executives and government officials try to figure out where the economy is headed, they’re also wondering: How long can consumers keep this up?
It started with the tainted pet food.
“It’s just a different way of thinking.”Michelle MacKenzie was talking about the switch from shopping at Target or Safeway to buying clothes and toys at the thrift store and food at the farmer’s market. But the eco-conscious mother of two might as well have been talking about buying only American-made products, or eating only locally grown food, or deciding to buy as little as possible. Or she could have been speaking for anyone who has decided, for one reason or another, to put her money where her mouth is.
Let’s be honest. We all like to get something for nothing. Whether it’s a complimentary dessert or a hotel room upgrade – free is a darn good price.
House prices are falling, food and energy prices are rising and consumers are gloomier than they’ve been in decades. But the latest data on the U.S. economy shows it still has a feeble pulse.
Sprint Nextel Corp. has finally rounded up the financial backing it needs to build a faster wireless network. But for consumers and the electronics industry, speed may be the least important thing about the new network.
Shoppers surveyed shelves loaded with rice at the Ranch 99 Asian supermarket, chatting in languages from Mandarin to Portuguese as they hunted for their favorite varieties, checked brand names and compared prices before heaving 50-pound bags into their carts.
Cabbies here complain their take-home pay is thinner than it used to be. Trucking companies across the country are making drivers slow down to conserve fuel. Filling station owners plead that really, really, the skyrocketing prices aren't their fault.
A combination of Microsoft and Yahoo could reshape the Internet landscape for millions of Web users: Would the two companies join their online portals? Could they rethink the desktop computer to integrate Web content more directly?
The success of the federal $150 billion emergency economic stimulus plan will hinge on whether American consumers do what they do best — spend, spend, spend.
At any given time, most Americans are in cell phone jail.