WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve pledged today to hold interest rates at a record low to drive down double-digit unemployment and sustain the economic recovery. ...more

December 16, 2009

Signs of a strengthening global recovery emerged Friday, with consumers boosting retail sales, companies restoring stockpiles and China's exports mounting a comeback. ...more

December 12, 2009

Retail sales rose more than expected in November, boosting hopes that the all-important consumer sector will support the fragile recovery. ...more

December 11, 2009

Bernanke: Recovery not certain Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Monday that it is too soon to know whether the economic recovery will last. ...more

December 8, 2009

We are a society of shoppers. We have been since we were prehistoric hunters and gatherers. From the souks of the Middle East to the night markets of Asia to the malls of America, humans come together to browse, bargain and buy. ...more

December 5, 2009

Thanksgiving 2009 has come and gone and so has Black Friday. Now the question is whether the nation's retailers will be blue this holiday season. ...more

November 28, 2009

WASHINGTON — More than 15 million taxpayers may owe the government $250 or more because of how the IRS last spring set up President Barack Obama's tax break that was designed to help consumers spend the U.S. economy out of recession. ...more

November 16, 2009

October sales reports from major retailers ranging from Target Corp. to Macy's Inc. are expected to offer more evidence of a spending recovery when they're released Thursday. ...more

November 5, 2009

Retail gasoline prices chugged higher Friday to a new peak for the year, forcing consumers to dig deeper into already-thin wallets to pay for fuel. ...more

October 31, 2009

Fueled by government stimulus, the economy grew last quarter for the first time in more than a year. The question now is, can the recovery last? ...more

October 30, 2009