Daily commentary about business and finance.

If you'd like to sort this department listing by headline, author or date, please use the Slate search.

• Euro Trash Even drug dealers are giving up on the dollar.
  Daniel Gross Dec. 28, 2004
  
• GM's Debt Crisis If its bonds are junk, how are the cars?
  Daniel Gross Dec. 21, 2004
  
• The Urge To Merge $100 billion in mergers this week! What's going on?
  Daniel Gross Dec. 17, 2004
  
• America—Who Needs It? The global economy thrives without the United States.
  Daniel Gross Dec. 15, 2004
  
• The Herbaceous Smell of Success Two fragrances give new meaning to the term "stinking rich."
  Daniel Gross Dec. 10, 2004
  
• Toy Story FAO Schwarz returns from the dead.
  Daniel Gross Dec. 9, 2004
  
• The Soccer War What happens when an American tries to buy the world's most beloved soccer team?
  Daniel Gross Dec. 7, 2004
  
• Oh, My God! The Chinese Are Coming! They're buying IBM's PC business. What's next—McDonald's?
  Daniel Gross Dec. 3, 2004
  
• Depreciation Elimination A guide to Bush's first tax hike.
  Daniel Gross Dec. 1, 2004
  
• The Bleeding Beast of Bentonville Why Wal-Mart is struggling.
  Daniel Gross Nov. 29, 2004
  
• Being John Snow The treasury secretary believes in a strong dollar. He also believes in Santa Claus.
  Daniel Gross Nov. 23, 2004
  
• Why Harvard Is Bad for Wall Street Obscure Economic Indicators Part 6: Harvard Business School graduates on Wall Street.
  Daniel Gross Nov. 19, 2004
  
• We Bought the Farm Who knew that America's demented agricultural policies could get even worse?
  Daniel Gross Nov. 18, 2004
  
• New From Revlon—Profit-Defying Makeup! Why the cosmetics company keeps losing money, year after year after year.
  Daniel Gross Nov. 16, 2004
  
• Are Profits Too High? Wall Street's unlikely worry.
  Daniel Gross Nov. 12, 2004
  
• Jeers and Cheers for Sears Can a real-estate tycoon save the retailer by destroying it?
  Daniel Gross Nov. 11, 2004
  
• No headline 
  Nov. 9, 2004
  
• Why Democrats Should Be Thankful At least they don't have to clean up the Bush fiscal catastrophe.
  Daniel Gross Nov. 4, 2004
  
• Bettors for Bush Political futures markets claim they're more accurate than opinion polls. So, how'd they do yesterday?
  Daniel Gross Nov. 3, 2004
  
• Avoiding the Oil Curse What Norway can teach Iraq.
  Daniel Gross Oct. 29, 2004
  
• Insurance for Suckers Were the corporate customers ripped off by the big insurance brokers victims or fools?
  Daniel Gross Oct. 26, 2004
  
• The Zagat Guide Turns 25 Surveying the surveys yields a history of Manhattan dining.
  Daniel Gross Oct. 20, 2004
  
• Branson vs. Trump The big-haired billionaires are polar opposites.
  Daniel Gross Oct. 15, 2004
  
• Jeepers Creepers, Where'd You Get Those Sweepers? The strange hobby of "sweepstaking."
  Oct. 14, 2004
  
• Millionaires for Bush, Billionaires for Kerry Why the super-rich favor the candidate who will raise their taxes.
  Daniel Gross Oct. 12, 2004
  
• Tract Homes in Tijuana Obscure Economic Indicators, Part 5: Mexican Mortgages 
  Daniel Gross Oct. 8, 2004
  
• The Truth About Fannie The real scandal at Fannie Mae.
  Daniel Gross Oct. 7, 2004
  
• Starbucks vs. Its Addicts The coffee chain bets you'll pay even more for your caffeine fix.
  Daniel Gross Oct. 5, 2004
  
• Other People's Money Meets Other People's Talent Why private-equity firms are buying talent agencies.
  Daniel Gross Oct. 1, 2004
  
• Oil Terror Don't blame Osama for high gas prices.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 29, 2004
  
• Mutual Funds, Crazy Eddie-Style Why they're slashing fees.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 28, 2004
  
• Management the Hasidic Way Moneybox—the special Days of Awe edition.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 24, 2004
  
• Goodbye, Pension. Goodbye, Health Insurance. Goodbye, Vacations. Welfare capitalism is dying. We're going to miss it.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 23, 2004
  
• Stocks Are From Mars Bonds are from Venus.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 21, 2004
  
• Friday Night Blights The foolish companies that try to hide their bad news on Friday.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 17, 2004
  
• Bush Wins the Cabela's Election Why a hunting store is the president's favorite campaign stop.
  Sept. 16, 2004
  
• Super Scripps Is this invisible giant the best media company in America?
  Daniel Gross Sept. 15, 2004
  
• The Big Sandy Obscure economic indicators, Part 4: Central Appalachian Coal Futures.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 10, 2004
  
• Soft Patch Alan Greenspan says the economy's back on track. Then why did so many big companies have so-so summers?
  Daniel Gross Sept. 9, 2004
  
• Self-Depreciating Remarks How the Bush tax cuts reduce employment.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 7, 2004
  
• The Curse of Black's Perle According to the Hollinger report, Conrad Black and Richard Perle richly deserved each other.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 2, 2004
  
• Debt, Where Is Thy Sting? The sting is right here, Mr. President, which is why your "ownership society" idea is in trouble.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 1, 2004
  
• Medal Miscount The economists' Olympic predictions were mostly wrong.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 30, 2004
  
• Buy Stock, Vote Bush Does investing really make you more Republican?
  Daniel Gross Aug. 27, 2004
  
• The Paradox at the Pump If oil prices are rising, why are gas prices falling?
  Daniel Gross Aug. 24, 2004
  
• Four Ways Google Failed How the IPO didn't change Wall Street.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 20, 2004
  
• Kim Jong Eisner Why Disney is like North Korea.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 19, 2004
  
• Can Shareholders Fight Terrorism? A right-wing campaign against companies that do business in terror-sponsoring states ignores the most obvious targets.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 17, 2004
  
• Medal Model Economists predict who will get the gold in Athens.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 12, 2004
  
• Shop the Vote Wal-Mart = Bush. Costco = Kerry. Costco's Winning.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 10, 2004
  
• Bushenfreude Revisited How the president's tax cuts have revived Democratic fund-raising.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 6, 2004
  
• The Best Stock Tips in Town Buy when these guys say buy, not when those guys say buy.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 4, 2004
  
• Oh, That Deficit Why the Democrats ignored Bush's fiscal folly.
  Daniel Gross July 30, 2004
  
• Aethereal Gains Another reason to get out of the real-estate market—right now!
  Daniel Gross July 29, 2004
  
• Frugal Google How it's upending the lousy IPO practices of the '90s.
  Daniel Gross July 27, 2004
  
• Mr. Softee, Meet Ma Bell Is Microsoft the new AT&T?
  Daniel Gross July 22, 2004
  
• Bulb Bubble Trouble That Dutch tulip bubble wasn't so crazy after all.
  Daniel Gross July 16, 2004
  
• The Men Who Would Be Bob Can Kerry find his own Robert Rubin?
  Daniel Gross July 14, 2004
  
• Wal-Mart vs. Neiman Marcus In the war between the "Two Americas," the rich folks are winning.
  Daniel Gross July 12, 2004
  
• Kenny Boy in the Dock What the Lay indictment should teach President Bush about lawyers.
  Daniel Gross July 8, 2004
  
• The $7 Billion Ego Did J.P. Morgan Chase waste billions so its CEO could keep his job?
  Daniel Gross July 7, 2004
  
• Axis of Fish Eggs Sure, Iran is our enemy. But its caviar is so good. Here, just try a little taste. …
  Daniel Gross July 2, 2004
  
• The Capitalism of Soccer Why Europe's favorite sport is more American than baseball.
  Daniel Gross June 30, 2004
  
• Sunny Side Down Why 1.4 million new jobs haven't ended the jobless recovery.
  Daniel Gross June 29, 2004
  
• Unhappy Meal What's wrong with Burger King?
  Daniel Gross June 24, 2004
  
• Delta Dud When an airline fights its pilots, everyone loses.
  Daniel Gross June 22, 2004
  
• Mutual Assured Destruction Can mutual-fund rater Morningstar go public and keep its good name?
  Daniel Gross June 17, 2004
  
• Wanna Buy a T-Bill, Sucker? The foreign fools who are buying American bonds.
  Daniel Gross June 15, 2004
  
• Rose-Colored Glasses on Blue-Chip Noses CEOs are increasingly confident about the economy. Uh-oh.
  Daniel Gross June 10, 2004
  
• The Great Refinery Shortage America needs oil. You'd rather have a beach condo.
  Daniel Gross June 8, 2004
  
• Exit the Antimogul Saying goodbye to Viacom's Mel Karmazin, the Willy Loman of the entertainment industry.
  Daniel Gross June 3, 2004
  
• Buy Cell How many mobile phones does the world need?
  Daniel Gross June 2, 2004
  
• The Prius and the Olive Tree Why are conservatives supporting higher gas taxes?
  Daniel Gross May 27, 2004
  
• The Rise of Compliance Man Ignore him at your peril.
  May 26, 2004
  
• Privacy Is Overrated Executives at publicly held companies insist they want to take their firms private. They're lying.
  Daniel Gross May 25, 2004
  
• Eliot Spitzer, Wimp Why the New York attorney general isn't strong-arming white-collar shysters.
  Daniel Gross May 21, 2004
  
• Better Fed Than Dead Alan Greenspan wears out his welcome.
  Daniel Gross May 19, 2004
  
• Pay at the Pump Who's profiting off high gas prices? Not the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart.
  Daniel Gross May 14, 2004
  
• Building a Better Bubble Who's not going to get hurt when housing prices collapse?
  Daniel Gross May 13, 2004
  
• The Atkins Excuse The low-carb, high-fat way for an executive to duck blame.
  Daniel Gross May 11, 2004
  
• How the Other Half Banks The depressing, amazing "payday loan" business.
  May 10, 2004
  
• Bailing for Dollars How the feds saved the airlines and made themselves a mint.
  Daniel Gross May 7, 2004
  
• Forget Google Greenhill's IPO lifts the velvet curtain on today's money culture.
  Daniel Gross May 4, 2004
  
• Senator Six Pack Budweiser is King of Beers. Miller says it's president of beers. And now Pete Coors wants to be a senator.
  Daniel Gross April 30, 2004
  
• The 4 Percent Solution Why you're such a lousy investor.
  April 30, 2004
  
• Profitless Profiteering Why can't Halliburton make good money in Iraq?
  Daniel Gross April 29, 2004
  
• Lyne Disease The affliction of journalists who want to be CEOs.
  Daniel Gross April 27, 2004
  
• Capitalists for Hillarycare Look who's supporting universal health care now.
  Daniel Gross April 16, 2004
  
• Donald Fires Himself Why the two Apprentice finalists are so un-Trumplike.
  Daniel Gross April 14, 2004
  
• Bush's Secret Tax on Democrats How the Alternative Minimum Tax has become a Republican weapon.
  Daniel Gross April 13, 2004
  
• You Can Negotiate Anything—Except This In which Enron miscreants Lea and Andrew Fastow learn you can't always make a deal.
  Daniel Gross April 8, 2004
  
• The Jobs Jitterbug The Bushies flip—and flip-flop—over the latest employment figures.
  Daniel Gross April 7, 2004
  
• Brussels' Clout The best economic indicators you've never heard of, Part 3: Belgian inventories.
  Daniel Gross April 2, 2004
  
• All You, Y'All The memo we'd like to see about Time Inc.'s new Wal-Mart magazine.
  Daniel Gross April 1, 2004
  
• Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jack Also some hotels and low-income housing.
  Daniel Gross March 31, 2004
  
• Out of Options Why some cowardly companies still won't count stock options as expenses.
  Daniel Gross March 26, 2004
  
• Coke Was It Not anymore.
  Daniel Gross March 24, 2004
  
• Champion Losers How France is using terrorism to excuse idiotic economic policies.
  Daniel Gross March 23, 2004
  
• The Mighty Red Army's IPO Irkut is the first Russian defense firm to go public. Does its stock offering signal a bright new phase in Russian capitalism?
  Kim Iskyan March 22, 2004
  
• The 10K Run The sweetheart deals hiding in corporate annual reports.
  March 19, 2004
  
• The Jet Set Goes to Jail Why private jets are at the heart of the business scandal trials.
  Daniel Gross March 18, 2004
  
• Smacking Fannie Mae Why John Snow and Alan Greenspan are trying to scare the mortgage markets.
  Daniel Gross March 16, 2004
  
• Cash and Carry Greenspan's latest gift to the markets.
  Daniel Gross March 12, 2004
  
• The Social Security Crisis—Solved! A Democratic economist's miraculous plan.
  Daniel Gross March 9, 2004
  
• Revenge of the Bean Counters At last, CFOs are turning on the CEOs who abused them.
  Daniel Gross March 4, 2004
  
• Election Bull Market Why do stocks rise during presidential election years?
  Daniel Gross March 3, 2004
  
• Alan Greenspan: ARMed and Dangerous The Federal Reserve chairman's weird affection for adjustable-rate mortgages.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 27, 2004
  
• Hummer vs. Prius The surprising winner in the war for America's auto soul.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 26, 2004
  
• The Fox in Our Henhouse Why is Fidel Castro buying all those American chickens?
  Daniel Gross Feb. 24, 2004
  
• Mud Wrestling With Michael Eisner Disney's insiders are feinting, grappling, clawing, and eye-gouging to avoid a hostile takeover.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 20, 2004
  
• The Buck Doesn't Stop Here Why Treasury Secretary Snow can't prevent the dollar from falling, even if he wanted to.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 13, 2004
  
• Blockbust Why no one wants to buy Blockbuster.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 10, 2004
  
• The Haunted Mansion How Michael Eisner continues to hang on at Disney.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 4, 2004
  
• Field of Dreams With every Bush budget, revenue forecasts get more inflated.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 3, 2004
  
• Odd Jobs Why the unemployment rate is really higher than it looks.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 30, 2004
  
• The Cow Jumped Over the Moon Why Gateway never stops reinventing itself.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 28, 2004
  
• High-Wire Act The elusive strategy of America's smartest media titan, John Malone.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 26, 2004
  
• It's the Data, Stupid How Bush explains away America's employment problems.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 21, 2004
  
• Ground War Why the FedEx merger with Kinko's should make UPS nervous.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 20, 2004
  
• Second City Blues Why Chicago shouldn't worry so much about corporate flight.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 15, 2004
  
• Out on the Street Why the American Stock Exchange is collapsing.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 13, 2004
  
• The Unlocked Box How Bush is plundering Social Security to close the deficit.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 9, 2004
  
• Seed Money Henry Wallace's company and how it grew.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 8, 2004
  
• Photo Finished Why Eastman Kodak deserves to lose its Dow Jones industrial average membership.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 6, 2004