From Southern California to Maine, the foundering economy, high fuel prices and poor fishing have driven boat owners to abandon perhaps thousands of vessels on the waterfront, where they are beginning to break up and sink, leaking oil and other pollutants. ...more

November 13, 2008

Consumers' appetites for home furnishings dropped again in August, with orders tumbling 16 percent to $1.68 billion - the fourth double-digit decline in six months. ...more

November 7, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AP) - When Paul Hodges lost his job as a newspaper librarian this summer, he cut back on junk food, canceled his Netflix subscription, went back to his old DVDs and tried to stop buying new ones. ...more

November 2, 2008

Kirk Kerkorian's investment firm said Tuesday it sold 7.3 million of its shares in Ford Motor Co. and plans to further cut what is now a 6.1 percent stake, for a potential loss of more than half a billion dollars on the investment. ...more

October 22, 2008

Months before a financial implosion shook shoppers straight to their checkbooks, Saks executives realized a problem might be brewing with their holiday lineup. ...more

October 18, 2008

George Bush has been in office for seven and a half years. The first six the economy was fine. Okay, he's president but he is not the dictator of what occurs in the U.S.A. We have a "checks and balance" system: Congress, Supreme Court, president. A little over a year ago, consumer confidence stood at a two and a half percent higher, regular gas sold for $2.19 a gallon, the unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, the Dow Jones hit a record high of 14,000-plus, Americans were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations overseas and living large. But, America wanted change, so in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress and yes, we got change all right! In the past year consumer confidence has plummeted, gas is now over $4 a gallon and climbing, unemployment is up to 5.5 percent (10 percent increase,) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 trillion and prices are still dropping. One percent of American homes are in foreclosure, the Dow is probing another low, and $2.5 trillion has evaporated from their stocks, bonds and mutual funds investment portfolios. Yes, in 2006 American voted for change and we sure got it. ...more

October 3, 2008

China's latest product safety scandal - tainted milk formula blamed for killing two Chinese babies and sickening 1,200 - expanded to include more foods Tuesday, with state media reporting some formula produced by companies involved was exported. ...more

September 17, 2008

Toll Brothers Inc. said Thursday it swung to a loss in its fiscal third quarter as weak demand for new homes forced the luxury builder to mark down the value of its land and unsold homes. ...more

September 5, 2008

With gas prices still near record highs, the economy in a slump and continued trouble in the credit markets, just about everybody expects August vehicle sales to be down significantly from a year ago. ...more

August 30, 2008

Nations, like people, occasionally get the blues; and right now the United States, normally the world's most self-confident place, is glum. ...more

August 3, 2008