No one goes into Walmart (WMT) and asks to pay extra sales tax. Thus sales taxes are reasonable barometers for retail sales. This week we look at how taxes are doing in a period of economic recovery.

Inquiring minds are interested in figuring out how long it might take to get back to "full employment" defined as 5%.John Mauldin touched upon this theme in Unemployment: Welcome to the New

Editor's Note: This article was written by James Quinn, a senior director of strategic planning for a major university. James has held high-level financial positions wit

Last Thursday, I received an email concerning debt deflation from David Meier, associate adviser at the MotleyFool.David asked if I had any comments on his article Debt-deflation: Just the beginning?

Let every company with a staggeringly successful product take a cue from Apple's (AAPL) iPod line: If you fail to upgrade and innovate, there's no reason for the consumer to tag along for the ride.On

Japan has gone through two lost decades, in and out of deflation, with nothing to show for it but increasing debt to GDP and a stock market still 70% below its peak.Now, Richard Koo of Nomura Researc

The G-7 meeting has concluded and the only accomplishment was yapping about the need for a strong dollar. Consider G-7 Finance Chiefs Campaign for “Strong Dollar”.   Finance chief

Editor's Note: The following article was written by Raymond James Chief Investment Strategist Jeff Saut. It has been reproduced with permission for the benefit of the Minyanville communit

Home sales fell last month, and so be it. Every home that doesn’t get sold is another bailout I don’t have to finance.Congress included an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers as

Successful advertising must resonate with an individual’s worldview because demographics alone will no longer close the sale, top marketers said Monday. Digital technology allows advertisers to