The Federal Reserve is likely to begin tapering off its economic life support late this year and finish a controversial program of bond purchases by the middle of the next year, Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday in remarks that triggered fear and loathing in financial markets. » read more

Federal Reserve officials begin a pivotal two-day meeting Tuesday facing a dilemma. The economy is showing enough improvement to justify dialing back some of the Fed’s life support, yet financial markets are terrified of what might happen and are taking it out on the housing sector. » read more

The average American family of four wastes between $1,350 and $2,275 a year in food. Much of that ends up in the kitchen trash can: uneaten leftovers, milk past the expiration date and vegetables that go bad. In the U.S., all that waste adds up to 90 billion pounds of food a year, and the planet is paying a staggeringly high price for it. » read more

The chairmen of the two tax-writing committees of Congress will hit the road together over the summer to promote a proposed revamp of the tax code, the two announced Friday. » read more

As President Barack Obama prepares to go to Northern Ireland on Sunday to promote a new trade pact with the European Union, hopes are running high for many U.S. businesses eager to squeeze more cash from one of the world’s most lucrative markets. » read more

Four years into a sluggish recovery marked by modest hiring, the economic horizon looks pretty much the same in the eyes of the nation's top corporate bosses. » read more