A barrel of oil hasn’t been this cheap since 2007, a rare silver lining for consumers amid a rapidly imploding financial landscape

The Commerce Department said Friday the trade deficit declined by 3.5 percent in August to $59.1 billion, the smallest imbalance since June

The Dow Jones industrial average finished with a loss of 128 points at 8,451 and down 1,817 points on the week

In these tough economic times, it’s important to keep a close eye on your credit cards. Some companies are doubling or even tripling their interest rates.

Oil prices closed below $85 a barrel even ,after OPEC signaled it may try to slow crude’s downward spiral by cutting production.

Standard & Poor’s said the automaker’s credit could fall further into junk status due to the “rapidly weakening state” of the global automotive market.

Several bank programs promise they can help you save by making automatic deposits every time you use your debit or credit card. Do they?

The CPSC and Rack Room Shoes issues a voluntary recall of girls’ sandals because of a choking hazard.

The ornamental flowers on the sandals can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children

The rechargeable batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consume

The half-point rate cut by the Fed was intended to help ease the stymied credit markets. Investors were clearly pleased by the cut, but wary because it won’t necessarily spur banks to resume a more normal lending pace to businesses and individuals.

American shoppers went into hiding in September, sticking to buying the bare-bone essentials and leading many retailers to report dismal sales for the month as skittish consumers grappled with the global financial meltdown.

AAA Mid-Atlantic expects prices to fall further and faster

The financial squeeze on Americans got tighter in the past decade as housing expenses—everything from mortgage payments and rent to utilities and insurance—outpaced the growth in income.

The Energy Information Administration said Wednesday that crude stocks rose by 8.1 million barrels to 302.6 million barrels last week. Analysts surveyed by energy research firm Platts had expected crude stocks to fall by 1 million barrels.

Gas, propane and electricity for home heating will go up as well, but not as much, the government says

With stock markets sinking and fear of recession rising, what’s the affluent consumer to do? Neiman Marcus hopes a few of them will escape the grim headlines by splurging on diamonds, Dior and other diversions.

This latest plunge, came after Bank of America Corp. reported its third-quarter profits fell 68 percent. The market’s gloom was also fed by comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, who warned that the financial crisis could prolong the difficulty the economy is facing.

Surface coatings on these products could contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard

Households, battered by rising job layoffs and the decaying economy, cut back sharply on their use of credit.

A new AARP study found that because of the economic downturn, one in five workers 45 and older has stopped putting money into a 401(k), IRA or other retirement savings account during the past year, and nearly one in four has increased the number of hours he works.

Even in the midst of a severe meltdown on Wall Street, Federal Reserve officials at their September meeting believed the risks from weaker growth and higher inflation were roughly equal.

The Fed chief’s more gloomy assessment appeared to open the door wider to an interest rate cut on or before Oct. 28-29, the central bank’s next meeting, to brace the wobbly economy

The system will let parents program the teenager’s car key so they can drive no faster than 80 miles per hour. And it can be made to chime if the teenager exceeds 45, 55, or 65 miles per hour.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced one of the largest child product safety alerts in years. 

Increasingly skittish employers dropped the ax even harder in September, chopping payrolls by 159,000

A chemical blamed for sickening infants
in China has been found in candy on American shelves.

Auto retailer CarMax says it’s laying off
600 employees to cut costs amid declining car and truck sales.

The hot word in makeup products is “minerals.” And some of them claim to offer health benefits. Are they the real deal or just hype? Good Housekeeping digs out the truth about mineral makeup, in today’s Good Housekeeping Report. 

The Virginia Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Affairs says the orginial number of complaints has been cut in half