Economy

Follow PBS NewsHour’s complete coverage of the Economy, Wall Street and other financial stories.

The U.S. unemployment rate declined from 6.4 percent to 6.2 percent in July, but the economy lost 44,000 jobs and nearly half a million discouraged Americans stopped looking for work. In a report broadcast before the new numbers were released,…

The Bush administration announced the 2003 federal budget deficit would be the highest in U.S. history: $450 billion. Experts discuss the causes of the growing deficit, including the war in Iraq, the tax cut and the weak economy.

Nobel prize-winning economist and Harvard Business School professor Robert Merton discusses the impact of technology giant Microsoft's decision to cancel its employee stock option program in the wake of a declining stock market.

The nation's unemployment rate jumped to 6.4 percent in June, up from 6.1 percent in May; the largest month-to-month rise since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Experts analyze what the jump may mean for the economy.