_Economy and Finance

U.S. Has `Realistic Possibility' of Stagnation, S&P's Wyss Says The U.S. has a “realistic possibility” of falling into a Japanese-style economic slump, said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor’s. ...

Ken Langone: US Economy Like a 'Drunk That Keeps Drinking': Langone - CNBC By: CNBC.com The struggling U.S. economy, held up by "artificial" stimulus, is not unlike a "drunk that keeps drinking," Ken Langone, former director of the New York Stock Exchange and co-founder of Fieldpoint Private Bank and Trust told CNBC Tuesday. ...

U.S. Existing Home Sales in Record Plunge Sales of existing houses plunged by a record 27 percent in July as the effects of a government tax credit waned, showing a lack of jobs threatens to undermine the U.S. economic recovery. ...

Global economy going nowhere fast NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- So much for merger mania getting investors excited. Stocks were off to a brutal start Tuesday, following a lackluster Monday. Even though the pace of corporate takeovers is picking up, investors just aren't buying the notion that more mergers could lead to higher stock prices. ...

The Return of Greek Tragedy - CNBC By: Reported by David Faber, written by Gennine Kelly Economist Joseph Stiglitz is warning that Europe is at risk of going into a double-dip. According to Bloomberg, the Noble Prize winner told Dublin-based RTE Radio on Tuesday that when the Euro-area governments stepped up efforts to cut deficits to below the European Union limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product, so many in Europe focused on this "3 percent artificial number, which has no reality and is just looking at one side of a balance sheet," Stiglitz said. ...

CNBC Stock Market News — Why Markets Will Avoid Double-Dip: Chief Strategist - CNBC By: JeeYeon Park With stocks lower for the fourth trading session, are we headed for a double-dip? David Kelly, chief market strategist at JPMorgan Funds, and Sandy Lincoln, investment strategist at M&I Investment Management, shared their insights. ...

Gross Says Mortgage Yields Would Soar Without Government Aid Bill Gross, who runs the world’s biggest mutual fund at Pacific Investment Management Co., said mortgage yields in the U.S. could rise as much as 4 percentage points without government support. ...