Consumers as a whole will likely spend more this year. But it's not because we'll all be earning more money. Even people lucky enough to get a raise will likely spend most of the extra dollars to pay higher gas and food prices. Full story
The $38 billion in spending cuts agreed to last week won't prevent this year's budget deficit from setting another record high, estimated at $1.5 trillion. Full story
President Barack Obama's budget proposal for 2012 is not a permanent fix for finances and chances are it will be watered down in Congress, Standard & Poor's chief economist said on Monday. Full story
What to expect for housing, the markets and unemployment in the new year, with David Joy, Columbia Management, and David Wyss, Standard & Poor's.
