Daily commentary about business and finance.

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• The Eco-Friendliest Product You Can Buy How my new pool cover is saving the planet.
  Daniel Gross Sept. 5, 2008
  
• The Bad News About Falling Oil Prices If commodity prices are dropping, how come inflation might be getting worse?
  Daniel Gross Sept. 3, 2008
  
• The Death of the Credit Card Economy Car leases, student loans, no-money-down mortgages, and high credit limits are vanishing.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 30, 2008
  
• Sorry, Pal, but You're Rich The deluded business pundits and Obama critics who think $250,000 is a middle-class salary.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 27, 2008
  
• The Gold Medal in Medal-Predicting Goes To ... Did economists correctly predict who'd win in the Beijing Olympics?
  Daniel Gross Aug. 25, 2008
  
• Cold Cash, Not Cold War How Russia's new economic ties to the West diminish the possibility of a violent confrontation with the U.S.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 21, 2008
  
• Skirting the Issues Reading between the economic hemlines of September's fashion mags.
  Lauren Sandler Aug. 20, 2008
  
• The Great Lobster Mystery Food prices are soaring. So why are prices for the delicious crustacean falling?
  Daniel Gross Aug. 18, 2008
  
• Harming Farming Low food prices used to hurt the world's poor—now high prices do. What gives?
  Aug. 6, 2008
  
• Always Dumb Politics. Always Wal-Mart. The retailer's clumsy, self-defeating attempts to influence Washington.
  Daniel Gross Aug. 5, 2008
  
• America's Smartest Banker The nation's financial industry is cratering, so how come Hudson City Bank is thriving?
  Daniel Gross Aug. 2, 2008
  
• Hitting "Platypus Bottom" Forget bears and bulls. There's a new animal metaphor on Wall Street.
  Chadwick Matlin Aug. 1, 2008
  
• Who Needs the Tech IPO? Open source and Facebook have completely changed the economics of Web startups.
  Chris Thompson July 31, 2008
  
• Highways Paved With Gold You think the government is wasting a few billion a year on mass-transit subsidies. But what about the huge subsidies for cars and trucks?
  Daniel Gross July 30, 2008
  
• Freddie and Fannie's Healthy Cousin There's another quasi-governmental agency that's lending hundreds of billions to troubled banks. Fortunately, it's not a mess. Yet.
  Daniel Gross July 28, 2008
  
• Phones Without Homes What's really killing the land-line telephone business.
  Daniel Gross July 25, 2008
  
• Babies for Sale Teaching Brangelina and other celebrities how to be better economists.
  Chadwick Matlin July 25, 2008
  
• Selling the Family Jewels Desperate American banks are selling everything that isn't nailed down (except the private jets).
  Daniel Gross July 23, 2008
  
• Starbucks Obituaries Slate readers' responses to our call for Starbucks memories.
  Chadwick Matlin July 23, 2008
  
• Save Your Starbucks! Soon there will be 600 fewer places to get a Frappucino. Slate wants to hear the symptoms of your withdrawal.
  Chadwick Matlin July 21, 2008
  
• Help Wanted If the federal government can't accurately forecast which jobs will grow, can anyone do it?
  Jacob Leibenluft July 21, 2008
  
• Bair Market The FDIC chairwoman's great ideas for preventing the meltdown of America's banking industry.
  Daniel Gross July 18, 2008
  
• eBay's Identity Is Going, Going … Online auctions are past their prime. Neither the market leader nor Wall Street knows what that means for the future.
  Chadwick Matlin July 17, 2008
  
• Flat Is the New Up The hot business catchphrase of 2008, and what it really means.
  Daniel Gross July 16, 2008
  
• The Bailout Will Be a Bargain The cost of rescuing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be way less than the amount they have saved American taxpayers.
  Daniel Gross July 14, 2008
  
• Farewell, Fake Steve Jobs From one pseudonymous business columnist to another: You'll be missed.
  July 14, 2008
  
• Fannie, Freddie, Folly Why the two mortgage giants can't be allowed to fail.
  Daniel Gross July 11, 2008
  
• Unzipped High gas prices threaten the car-sharing model—yet more companies than ever want in on the action.
  Chadwick Matlin July 11, 2008
  
• The S&P 500's Bubble Trouble Did the housing bust burn investors in the world's most important stock index?
  Daniel Gross July 10, 2008
  
• Good Crop, Bad Crop Once-lauded biofuels are now blamed for high food prices. But the next generation might yet work.
  Christopher Flavelle July 10, 2008
  
• U Better Sell Reader suggestions for renaming UBS.
  Daniel Gross July 9, 2008
  
• Phil Gramm's UBS Problem If the Texas senator and McCain adviser was supposed to keep the Swiss bank out of trouble, he's made a mess of it.
  Daniel Gross July 7, 2008
  
• Super-vise Me It's OK to feel guilty about eating fast food, but is it the government's job?
  Christopher Flavelle July 2, 2008
  
• Why We Need Movie Reviewers Despite popular belief, critically acclaimed movies actually sell better.
  Erik Lundegaard July 1, 2008
  
• Presidential Impotence Why Obama or McCain won't be able to cure the ailing economy.
  Daniel Gross June 28, 2008
  
• This Bid's for You A Brazilian-Belgian company wants to buy American beer giant Anheuser-Busch. What's the problem?
  Daniel Gross June 27, 2008
  
• Wage Against the Machine If Costco's worker generosity is so great, why doesn't Wal-Mart imitate it?
  June 27, 2008
  
• Barrel Fever Does anyone know how much oil there is in the world?
  June 25, 2008
  
• Hey, Fat Spender Is America's obesity linked to its decline in saving?
  June 24, 2008
  
• Houston, We Have No Problems In the midst of a stagnant economy, an oil star shines in Texas.
  Daniel Gross June 21, 2008
  
• Meet Bear Stearns' Prosecutor A relatively obscure U.S. attorney brings the subprime mortgage saga into a new, criminal phase.
  Chadwick Matlin June 19, 2008
  
• Even Injured, Tiger Still Sells What's the economic impact of the world's best golfer missing the rest of the season? Minimal.
  Darren Rovell June 19, 2008
  
• The Case (Almost) for Drilling Kooky ideas abound, but there is a nearly rational argument for new offshore oil exploration.
  Daniel Gross June 18, 2008
  
• Scrubbing Out Sea Life Exfoliating plastic beads feel good—unless you live in the ocean.
  June 16, 2008
  
• The Coming Charity Crisis The economy is tumbling. Will philanthropic donations follow?
  Daniel Gross June 12, 2008
  
• We're Europe's Bargain Bin The pain of watching foreigners buy up Manhattan.
  June 12, 2008
  
• Why Martha Stewart's Company Is Doomed Even a new CEO is unlikely to save the domestic diva's reeling firm.
  James Ledbetter June 11, 2008
  
• Recalculating ... The 3G iPhone is coming. GPS manufacturers should be very, very scared.
  Chadwick Matlin June 9, 2008
  
• Bushed There's nothing else the president can do to fix the economy.
  Daniel Gross June 9, 2008
  
• 80 Is the New 50 How did America's business leaders get so old?
  Daniel Gross June 6, 2008
  
• People Who Buy Glass Houses Are architectural landmarks a good real-estate investment?
  Daniel Gross June 4, 2008
  
• First Housing Bust, Now Baby Bust Is the recession causing a birth dearth?
  Daniel Gross May 29, 2008
  
• Sex and the Cash Register Retailers hope to piggyback on the Sex and the City movie, but it won't work.
  May 29, 2008
  
• Honey, I Ate the Rebate You've already spent your tax windfall on gas and bread.
  Daniel Gross May 28, 2008
  
• Market Botch The folly of political portfolios.
  Daniel Gross May 24, 2008
  
• Rock the Cashback Microsoft's new advertising scheme is clever but fatally flawed. Somebody better tell Yahoo.
  Chadwick Matlin May 22, 2008
  
• My eBay Job Do 1.3 million people really earn their living from the auction site?
  Daniel Gross May 21, 2008
  
• Bubble Trouble The Fed hopes to stop investment bubbles before they pop. Good luck!
  Daniel Gross May 19, 2008
  
• Jim Cramer Doesn't Want To Poke You Why social networks can't mix with investors—unless they're not social.
  Chadwick Matlin May 19, 2008
  
• Network 2.0 CBS's purchase of CNET is pricey and tricky, but it might just work.
  James Ledbetter May 15, 2008
  
• Gasoline Is Cheap Four dollars a gallon is outrageous! We should be paying much more.
  Robert Bryce May 15, 2008
  
• RV Disaster The recreational-vehicle industry is the newest casualty of the economic slump.
  Daniel Gross May 15, 2008
  
• High Styles for Low Times How fashion and luxury firms will ride out a recession.
  May 14, 2008
  
• McCain's Economic Brain Why Carly Fiorina is so important to the Republican's presidential campaign.
  Daniel Gross May 13, 2008
  
• Coming Soon, the Samsung Washington Monument! How "naming rights" have become a huge American export.
  Daniel Gross May 9, 2008
  
• Game Google, Help the World Why search-engine optimization makes the Web a better place.
  Chris Wilson May 9, 2008
  
• Corn Dogs Fuel prices are at record highs, so why are ethanol producers struggling?
  Daniel Gross May 7, 2008
  
• Obama-nomics Barack and Michelle are very cautious with their newfound wealth.
  May 7, 2008
  
• Yahoo-bris! A company with a history of overpaying lost a great deal when it couldn't force Microsoft to overpay. Now what?
  James Ledbetter May 5, 2008
  
• How Bad Could It Get? Will the recession be more like the 1990-'91 downturn or the Great Depression?
  James Ledbetter May 2, 2008
  
• There Will Be Blood Orange Juice John D. Rockefeller's heirs urge Exxon Mobil to play nicer.
  Daniel Gross April 30, 2008
  
• Stop Blaming the Insurers It's not them. It's us. Exposing three myths about the costs of private health insurance.
  Mark Gimein April 30, 2008
  
• The Agony of the Food Snob Basque cheese at $22 per pound! Olive oil at $43 per liter! What's a gourmand to do?
  Daniel Gross April 29, 2008
  
• Going, Going, Not Gone Why does the press seem to be rooting for an art-auction crash?
  April 28, 2008
  
• The Age of Grand Dilution Banks unveil their latest desperate strategy for self-preservation.
  Daniel Gross April 26, 2008
  
• McCain and His Money What the candidate's investing strategy reveals about his character.
  James Ledbetter April 25, 2008
  
• Inside the Liar's Loan How the mortgage industry nurtured deceit.
  Mark Gimein April 24, 2008
  
• Ditch the Annual Report! Corporate America's most-overlooked environmental crime, and how to stop it.
  Daniel Gross April 21, 2008
  
• Spinning Through the Credit Apocalypse Wall Street's head honchos say the crisis is nearly over. Don't bet on it.
  Chadwick Matlin April 16, 2008
  
• Here Comes the Next Mortgage Crisis Subprime was just the beginning. Wait until California's prime borrowers start handing their keys to the bank.
  Mark Gimein April 15, 2008
  
• Why I Love the Taxman Owe the government money? The IRS could be your best friend.
  Mark Gimein April 14, 2008
  
• Clear Skies, Empty Runways How the recession could be good for airline passengers.
  Daniel Gross April 12, 2008
  
• The Last Days of Cheap Chinese Why American consumers are about to start paying more for clothes, electronics, toys, and just about everything else.
  April 8, 2008
  
• A Tax Break for Bubble Heads Congress' latest dumb idea to fix the housing crisis.
  Daniel Gross April 7, 2008
  
• Countrywide Wants To Sell You a House The foreclosure boom means they're the seller, the lender, and maybe even the appraiser. Would you buy a home that way?
  April 4, 2008
  
• The Mark-to-Market Melee Is an obscure accounting rule to blame for the credit market meltdown?
  Daniel Gross April 1, 2008
  
• Why Fed Reform Won't Work Yes, the financial regulation system needs overhaul, but the proposed plan is a Band-Aid for Wall Street's mortal wounds.
  March 31, 2008
  
• Rich Men Behaving Badly Meet the super-rich, the dysfunctional class threatening American values.
  Daniel Gross March 29, 2008
  
• Staying on Bush's Course Here's some straight talk: McCain's fiscal program is either a joke or a fantasy.
  Daniel Gross March 28, 2008
  
• The New New Deal Roosevelt-era reforms are saving capitalism—again.
  Daniel Gross March 25, 2008
  
• Bear Run Why the Fed had to bail out Bear Stearns.
  March 18, 2008
  
• The Rise of American Incompetence We used to be the world's most skillful entrepreneurs and managers. Now we're laughingstocks. What happened?
  Daniel Gross March 15, 2008
  
• Spitzenfreude Wall Streeters are suggesting that Spitzer's fall exonerates them. No way.
  Daniel Gross March 13, 2008
  
• Spitzer Gets Spitzered How Spitzer was brought down by the same kind of investigation he pioneered.
  Daniel Gross March 10, 2008
  
• Stagflation Is Back And it's even worse than you feared.
  Daniel Gross March 6, 2008
  
• NAFTA Nonsense Explaining the Clinton/Obama spat over trade policy.
  Daniel Gross March 4, 2008
  
• The Unspeakable R Word Why nobody in Washington wants to say recession.
  Daniel Gross March 1, 2008
  
• Landslide! Why are there so many natural disasters during presidential election years?
  Daniel Gross Feb. 29, 2008
  
• The Wal-Mart Puzzle The economy's tanking. So why is it thriving?
  Daniel Gross Feb. 26, 2008
  
• America Has Too Many Stores Should anything be done about it?
  Daniel Gross Feb. 16, 2008
  
• Foreclosure, for Closure What's wrong with the Bush and Clinton plans to suspend foreclosures.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 15, 2008
  
• Yahoo! Boohoo. Why investors assume the Microsoft-Yahoo deal won't happen.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 12, 2008
  
• Understimulated Do Americans lie to pollsters about how they'll spend their stimulus rebate checks?
  Daniel Gross Feb. 7, 2008
  
• Are Bush's Tax Cuts Dead? Does McCain's victory doom them?
  Daniel Gross Feb. 6, 2008
  
• The Toddler Economy Why are CEOs and Wall Street financiers behaving so childishly?
  Daniel Gross Feb. 2, 2008
  
• Yahoo! Can't Say No The logic of Microsoft's brilliant bid.
  Henry Blodget Feb. 1, 2008
  
• Web 2.Over What Microsoft's bid for Yahoo! means for the economy and for Google.
  Daniel Gross Feb. 1, 2008
  
• Taxing to the Dark Side Bush misleads Americans about tax cuts—again—during the State of the Union.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 29, 2008
  
• SWF Seeks Loving American Man The hottest session at Davos is about … sovereign wealth funds?
  Daniel Gross Jan. 24, 2008
  
• Panic at Davos! The global financial meltdown intrudes on the World Economic Forum.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 22, 2008
  
• Dear Rich People … All you wealthy Americans, stop complaining and save the economy!
  Daniel Gross Jan. 19, 2008
  
• The Good News About the Recession Maybe it will finally teach Americans how to compete globally.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 16, 2008
  
• Ghost Malls Is retail real estate about to crash?
  Daniel Gross Jan. 9, 2008
  
• Bad Bet Why were the political futures markets so wrong about Obama and Clinton?
  Daniel Gross Jan. 9, 2008
  
• Gas Bubble Oil is at $100 per barrel. Get used to it.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 5, 2008
  
• If Presidential Candidates Were Stocks Mike Huckabee would be Chick-fil-A, Barack Obama would be …
  Daniel Gross Jan. 4, 2008
  
• Beware of Falling Knives It's tough to make money off the credit bubble—even for daredevil billionaires.
  Daniel Gross Jan. 2, 2008