posted 01-08-2001 10:34 AM         

---

The Economist takes a look at the economy's state of affairs and analyzes Greenspan's "panicky" move. http://economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=468221

A MarketWatch commentator feels that one rate cut, even a large surprising one such as this, just isn't enough. (source: MarketWatch) http://cbs.marketwatch.com/archive/20010104/news/current/editorview.htx

This columnist feels that the Fed made a huge mistake on Wednesday and showed that it is panicking about the stock market, not the economy. (source: TheStreet.com) http://www.thestreet.com/markets/aarontaskfree/1238240.html

posted 01-05-2001 06:35 PM         

---

The nation's unemployment rate held steady at 4 percent in December even as hiring by American businesses slowed to the weakest pace in four months. (source: Washington Post) http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22802-2001Jan5.html

- Americans bought fewer new homes in November as stock market volatility, lower consumer confidence and higher energy prices made people feel less inclined to make big purchases.

posted 01-04-2001 06:02 PM         

---

The Federal Reserve lowered the U.S. discount rate by another quarter percentage point for the second consecutive day, bringing the symbolic rate down to 5.5%. The cuts follow the Fed's decision yesterday to lower the federal funds rate by .5%. (source: CNNfn) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/01/04/economy/fed/

Retailers have just released same-store sales for December, and it's looking pretty grim for specialty stores across the board, except for electronics and gadgets. (source: The Street) http://www.thestreet.com/brknews/retail/1239726.html

Three major retailers - Wal-Mart, Kmart, and J.C. Penney - reported disappointing December sales Thursday, as a struggling economy and bad weather added up to a slower holiday shopping period. (source: CNNfn) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/01/04/companies/store_sales/

In Brief:
- New claims for state unemployment insurance rose last week to a seasonally adjusted 375,000 (the highest point in more than two years) suggesting that employers’ demand for workers is waning.

posted 01-02-2001 05:27 PM         

---

- Manufacturing activity fell for the fifth month in a row in December to its lowest level in nearly a decade, an industry group reported Tuesday, offering yet more evidence of a weakening U.S. economy.

The party is over and the hangover is about to begin. That, essentially, is how economists are viewing the year-2001 economy, according to a recent survey. (source: MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.com/news/510397.asp

posted 12-28-2000 05:53 PM         

---

New claims for state unemployment insurance fell sharply last week, but still hovered at a level that suggests employers' appetite for workers is waning. (source: The Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58489-2000Dec28.html

US Consumer confidence fell in December while November sales of existing homes rose 4.4%, according to separate reports released today. The drop in confidence was in line with Wall Street forecasts while home sales were a bit above economists' estimates. (source: CNNfn) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2000/12/28/economy/economy/

posted 12-22-2000 08:12 AM         

---

The U.S. economy grew at its slowest rate in four years in the third quarter, the government said Thursday in its final reading on gross domestic product for the quarter. The government cut its estimate to 2.2% from 2.4%, the value previously reported and expected by analysts. source: CNNfn) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2000/12/21/economy/economy

The wealth effect has been a huge part of this economy's record expansion. Unfortunately, the wealth created by a surging stock market is fast slipping away, and this columnist feels that Greenspan and company needs to recognize the very real impact of the stock market on the economy. (source: MarketWatch) http://cbs.marketwatch.com/archive/20001220/news/current/erdman.htx

The r-word, recession, is being tossed about like a sack of potatoes, but do you know what it means? If you entered the labor force after 1982, this writer claims you haven't seen a real recession, just one mild downturn in the early 90's. (source: MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.com/news/506088.asp

posted 12-19-2000 06:05 PM         

---

The Fed decided to hold interest rates steady for the next six weeks, keeping the Federal funds rate at 6.5% and the discount rate at 6%. The Fed did warn, however, that recession is now the greatest risk to the US economy, and indicated it would be ready to reduce interest rates to prevent such an occurrence. (source: MarketWatch) http://cbs.marketwatch.com/archive/20001219/news/current/fed.htx

The US trade deficit narrowed from record levels in September to $33.18 billion in October. Expectations varied between $33.0 and $33.25 billion. The drop was largely attributed to waning US demand for imports. (source: CNNfn) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2000/12/19/economy/trade/

All times are EST (US)