After months of speculation and debate, the Federal Reserve has, by raising the fed funds rate, decided that the U.S. economy has recovered from the Great Recession.

What are the pluses, and minuses, of the Trans-Pacific Partnership for the United States? Here’s a look.

Increased borrowing by consumers may help boost U.S. growth—and influence future Federal Reserve policy moves.

While the government finally is promoting reform efforts, the nation’s economic and political troubles are likely to stick around.

Any potential downturn in the tech sector might cause pain for some investors, but it likely would pose little danger to the overall U.S. economy.

Good news and bad news: Here are four reasons why an economic downturn now is unlikely—and two reasons why a sudden pickup is equally unlikely.

The pace of improvement is nowhere near as rapid as in past rebounds. Here’s a look behind the numbers.

Governments, businesses, and consumers have had some success in deleveraging since the 2008–09 financial crisis, but the improvement has been uneven.

Companies, awash in cash, remain reluctant to invest in new plants and equipment. That could hamper long-term U.S. economic growth.

Current trends support the notion that U.S. stock valuations are far from overstretched. Prices up, prices down—the trends in mutual fund flows seem to continue unaltered. Money flows out of domestic U.S. equities and into foreign equities, hybrid funds, and bonds, regardless of how low yields fall or how well or poorly the stock market does.

The unwinding of China’s property boom will weigh on its economy and finances, but the consequences shouldn’t be dire.

Not only are U.S. employment costs accelerating but also worker output per hour is decelerating. Could this spur inflation concerns at the U.S. Federal Reserve?

The nuclear deal with Iran is not yet settled, but it definitely points to, among many other things, lower oil prices. Once sanctions lift, Iran, desperate for cash, will sell all the oil it can, increasing global supplies and likely driving down prices. This one-time supply surge will, no doubt, take a while to have its full effect, until mid-2016 in all likelihood, but thereafter, slowdowns in production elsewhere in the world, including shale and tar sands in North America, should again begin to put upward pressure on the global price of crude.

A Federal Reserve research report recommends deploying current policy for future crises. Is that really such a good idea?

A stronger U.S. currency likely will continue to weigh on exports and boost imports. What does this mean for future U.S. growth?

The prudent household deleveraging may keep the overall pace of economic growth slower, but it nonetheless has many favorable implications for the future.

The Chinese economy likely will sustain a pace of growth strong enough to stabilize stock prices.

Even with an expected rise in interest rates, the sector should see a faster pace of growth—not enough, however, to give a major boost to the overall economy.

While we await the disposition of Greece’s latest fiscal rescue, here are the issues that could influence the nation’s future—bailout or no.

After the volatility of the past few years, conditions once again appear favorable for this asset class.

It seems Greece has chosen default and capital controls. Even so, Athens can still cut a deal that would relieve both. Either way, it will remain unclear for a while whether the country stays in the common currency. In some respects, this situation is entirely manageable. That fact has fostered a dangerous complacency, for in other respects, this situation carries considerable risk—for the eurozone, for European finance in general, and for global finance.

Even amid a multiyear market advance, retail equity investors remain cautious. Here’s why that could actually help extend the rally.

Since the equity rally of the past few years has brought most stock indexes to new highs, investors increasingly have expressed skepticism about the possibility of future gains. It is an understandable concern—but it also is misplaced. Stocks still carry attractive valuations, if not as attractive as in past years, and so have ample ability to continue to rise, even if, as expected, the economy only lumbers along the shallow recovery path it has traveled to date.

The Great Recession of 2008–09 seems to have fundamentally changed the American consumer. For at least 30 years prior to that economic and financial upheaval, households in this country could only be described as financially aggressive. They spent freely, accrued debt at a rapid pace, and relegated savings to the status of an afterthought. In so doing, they helped propel rapid overall economic growth.

Data signaling nascent U.S. wage inflation could figure into the timing of interest-rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, even if growth in the broader economy remains slow.

The current pace of expenditures on property, plant, and equipment dampens the likelihood of an accelerated economic recovery.

Beijing likely will find a way to mitigate the effects of a slowing economy and soaring debt levels—but the risks are high.

A flat first quarter likely will be followed by one or two quarters of accelerated growth. Then it’s back to the muddle.

Market movements caused by the sharp drop—and subsequent recovery—in oil prices provide insight on successfully navigating the high-yield market.

Talk of an unsustainable surge in mergers and acquisitions is premature. The current level of activity suggests that corporate managers will continue to buy rather than build.

A compromise budget from the House and Senate will not affect U.S. revenues and spending—but it may help Republicans frame key policy debates ahead of the 2016 election.

The percentage of Americans either working or looking for work is lower than pre-recession levels. Here’s what it could mean for the economy—and Fed policy.

Even with the recent improvement, the pace of U.S. employment growth still lags earlier labor-market rebounds by a significant margin. What needs to be done to speed up the pace?

Worries that the elevated value of the greenback will crimp U.S. exports—and hurt corporate profits—are overstated.

Until the prime minister draws the "third arrow"—structural reform—from his quiver, Japan's economic and investment prospects will remain limited.

No redistribution here: Even as equity fund flows have turned positive, bond funds continue to see inflows. Here’s a closer look at the trend—and what it means for investors.

While the Tsipras government has bought itself some time, the possibility of a Greek exit from the eurozone remains quite real—as does the risk to global financial markets.

Here’s a look at key indicators—and what they signal for the pace of U.S. economic activity.

Could widespread defaults on the $1.2 trillion in U.S. student debt cripple the economy? Not likely.

Switzerland’s decision to scrap the franc-euro peg has grabbed the headlines, but the bigger story remains the continued dominance of the U.S. dollar.

The latest proposals from the White House all but ensure that no progress will be made on sorely needed tax-code fixes in 2015.

The answer to that question depends on three key factors. Here?s a closer look at each.

At best, the black sheep of the eurozone family is a troubling source of uncertainty for policymakers and global markets?at worst, it?s a potential disaster.

The Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank face significant limitations on what they can do to solve economic problems.

While much work still needs to be done, the financial condition of state and local governments in the United States continues to improve. What does this mean for investors?

Despite an improving labor market and lower oil prices, consumer outlays should continue to expand at a slow pace. Heres why.

Market prospects in the coming year would seem to hinge on four major considerations. One is geopolitics, inherently unpredictable but potentially disruptive, especially these days. Another is the Federal Reserves plan to raise interest rates along a gentle path beginning sometime in the middle of the year. Third is the perennial question of where value lies within and between markets. Fourth is the state of the U.S. economy.

Federal Reserve rate hikes or not, the fundamentals suggest the sectors slow, steady recovery likely will continue.

Mutual-fund data show that retail investors remain reluctant to commit money to equities. That actually could help extend the rally in the months ahead.

Amid the big changes in the U.S. capital, here are the potential legislative actions that could influence financial markets.