WASHINGTON — Congress seems increasingly reluctant to let taxes go up, even on wealthier Americans. Worried about the fragile economy and their own upcoming elections, a growing number of Democrats are joining the rock-solid Republican opposition to President Barack Obama’s plans to let some of the Bush administration’s tax cuts expire. Democratic [ Read More → ]

If you’re planning on going to warmer climbs this summer, take note – new guidance from Direct Line suggests that paying for medical care abroad is becoming more expensive, meaning that cutting back on insurance cover could turn out to be a false economy. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), formally [ Read More → ]

The New Zealand economy feels a lot like a ‘Zombie Nation’ that wants to keep extending the loans and pretending that eventually everything will eventually go back to normal. Parts of our financial system and many property owners have been in a zombie-like state for much of the last two years, [ Read More → ]

Back in 2008, a South Florida financial executive found himself firing each of the 70 employees reporting to him. Then, he, too, became a casualty of the crumbling economy. The executive asked for some anonymity in exchange for his honest account of what followed. Sweating through an unfriendly job market, he [ Read More → ]

WASHINGTON — It’s starting to feel like another recession. Businesses are ordering fewer goods. Home sales are the slowest in decades. Jobs are scarce, and unemployment claims are rising. Perhaps most worrisome, manufacturing activity, which had been one of the economy’s few bright spots, is faltering. “The odds of a [ Read More → ]

WASHINGTON - Unable to make a sizable dent in unemployment, Democrats are on the political equivalent of a golden oldies tour, pledging support for Social Security, Medicare and other venerable programs while trying to stoke voter fears about Republican intentions. The Voting Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and most recently, [ Read More → ]

It’s nearly four months since stocks reached their 2010 highs and began falling on investors’ doubts about the economic recovery. Some analysts say it could be another year before investors get up enough confidence to restart the rally. The economy isn’t helping them. Last week, the Federal Reserve and two mass-market [ Read More → ]

Richard Drew/The Associated PressPeter Tuchman, right, watches the numbers as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Financial markets tumbled today as investors appeared to grow concerned about the health of the U.S. economy following Tuesday’s actions by the Federal Reserve. NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks and [ Read More → ]

The latest Inflation Report from the Bank of England has suggested that the economy is recovering at a slower rate than expected. The report, released today, states: “The recovery continued in the United Kingdom, with output growth across the first half of 2010 close to its historical average. But the level of [ Read More → ]

The markets are signaling that a bout of deflation may be coming. Many economists still dismiss the threat. But if they are wrong, and deflation does set in, what would it mean for stocks, bonds, gold and other investments? The last time deflation fears gripped the markets was in 2003, when [ Read More → ]