The role of imports in GDP—Gross Domestic Product—confuses many people. The current political discussion about tariffs has triggered some of the misunderstanding. This article aims to help business ...

Fears of a recession are back on investors’ minds. But predicting the onset of an economic downturn, let alone the length and severity of one, is difficult even for the experts. As a rule of thumb, ...

Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at "60 Minutes," CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.

GDP is an estimate of the value of the goods and services produced in the United States. It is not a comprehensive measure of well-being, nor is it the only critical indicator of the economy. Because ...