WSJ.com: Capital

Surprises From 25 Years Covering the Economy

Thu, 02 Jan 2014 07:23:17 EST

Capital: David Wessel shares his thoughts on the stagnant middle class and growing income inequality, the post-9/11 economic resiliency and more in his final column.

Listening to the Fed: Can It Make Promises and Keep Them?

Fri, 22 Nov 2013 12:25:45 EST

Capital: David Wessel examines the Fed's use of "forward guidance" to influence public expectations about monetary policy and the challenges the practice poses.

Five Years After the Crisis: The To-Do List

Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:39:08 EDT

Capital: Columnist David Wessel says there's one big lingering question: Have we done enough to reduce the risk that the next financial crisis—and there will be one—will do so much damage?

Emerging Questions on Growth Path

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:18:35 EST

The global financial crisis exposed shortcomings of U.S.-style capitalism, and Europe's sovereign-debt crisis highlighted the tension of a costly welfare state. Now, the developing world grapples with the fallout and seeks a way forward.

Addressing Housing Troubles Will Stir a Slow Recovery

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:38:24 EDT

Making refinancing easier isn't a miracle cure for the sluggish global recovery. But it will help, and the economy needs all the help it can get.

Small Banks and Big Risks

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:26:31 EDT

Congress is planting the seeds of the next big bank bailout. A provision added to a help-small-business bill would allow all but the 100 largest banks to pretend they haven't made bad loans.

Rethinking the Dream of Home Ownership

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:05:17 EDT

The American approach to home ownership and mortgages needs to be reconsidered, as the dream of owning a home turns into a nightmare of debt and foreclosure for many.

The 'Too Big' Divide on Banks

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:32:39 EDT

Among the final questions hovering over the Congress as it rewrites the rules of finance is this: If banks that are too big to fail are a big part of the problem, will anything short of busting them up suffice?

A Spending Nudge, or a Fudge?

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:15:37 EDT

A board created by the health bill to slow Medicare spending could eventually overcome congressional inability to say "no" to Americans who demand more in benefits than they're willing to pay in taxes.

The Lessons of Medicare Part D

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:11:52 EST

Academics are drawing lessons from the Medicare expansion of four years ago that are acutely relevant to the health-care legislation pending in Congress.

Triggering a Victory on Health Bill

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:57:31 EST

Congress is searching for a compromise on a public option -- a provision that allows enough members of both camps to declare victory and vote "aye" in the health overhaul.

Obama Falls Short of Dealing with Deficit

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:08:28 EDT

Obama talks as if he has that old-time fiscal-responsibility religion, but the president has yet to acknowledge blunt arithmetic reality.

Economy's Fate on Credit Watch

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:35:00 EDT

After one of the most tumultuous weekends Wall Street has ever seen, how much bleaker is the outlook for the U.S. economy?

'American Way' Is a Work in Progress

Thu, 13 Nov 2003 08:41:07 EST

The self-correcting nature of the American economic and political system means that problems are usually followed by shrieks of outrage and changes for the better. But the pace and severity of reform isn't always consistent.

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