Economy

Attention all passengers. Brace yourself for something you haven't heard in a while: <em>Good</em> news from the airline industry. Steve Tripoli reports.

Earlier this year, inflation seemed mostly limited to the gas pump, but now higher prices are showing up elsewhere. The core consumer price index and core inflation rate are on the rise.

Today, the government reported that producer prices rose last month, but there are some stores that can't pass cost increases onto consumers &mdash; because it's part of their name. Right? Alex Goldmark reports.

Despite sky-high energy prices, rising interest rates and a bi-polar stock market, second-quarter numbers are coming in at all-time highs. So what's the secret? Commentator Kim Clark says it's deceptively simple.

US private equity firms raised nearly $100 billion over the first six months of the year, a 43% jump over the same period last year. But having so many dollars in play could mean too much of a good thing. Janet Babin reports.

President Bush and other world leaders are in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the G8 Summit this weekend. It's the first time the conference has been held in the former Soviet country. And Russians are really looking forward to it. Stephen Beard reports.

There's been speculation that the cooling of the housing market could result in lower retail sales. Commentator and retail consultant Michael Silverstein isn't buying it.

That's Zero Interest Rate Policy &mdash; long Japan's response to a decade of deflationary recession. But tomorrow, Japan's central bank is expected to reinstate interest rates for the first time in five years. Steve Herman has the story.

Trade figures for May show that the US imported $63 billion more in goods than it exported. That's the sixth-largest trade deficit in history, but it's just a sign of the times. Stacey Vanek-Smith explains.

Tomorrow the White House is expected to announce the projected budget deficit will be $100 billion less than originally feared, because people paid way more in taxes than expected. But why? Scott Tong reports.