Financial markets around the world experienced tumultuous swings following Standard & Poor's first-ever downgrade of the U.S. credit rating on Aug. 5. An ongoing European debt crisis and forecasts for sluggish economic growth worldwide are also rattling investors.

Deep pessimism about the nation's economy explains the cutbacks during Christmas this year.

There are many reasons to fear that the US economy could stall again early next year and to be deeply concerned about the renewed deflation in Japan and the growing tensions within the eurozone, and what these factors might mean for a meaningful global economic recovery.

It's because hospitals like Mount Sinai admitted difficult medical cases, deployed expensive technology, and performed difficult operations that they now find themselves deep in the red.

For Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the man who can look at the booming, silver-lined economy and see a cloud is Lawrence B. Lindsey.

The best and worst of the political parties.

Domestic markets will become more contestable and competition among firms across countries will intensify.