TNS Well, this is a bit troubling. A new survey conducted by industry group The Alternative Board (TAB) found that nearly two out of every three small business owners (or 59%) think social media is not that essential to business operations. It’s an interesting result given how much social media has invaded every area of our lives. Tweets pop ...

  WASHINGTON Columnists get complaints. After my last column (which argued that maybe the economy is better than we say), I got one from Alice Lang of Spartanburg, South Carolina. She accused me (politely) of ignoring the long-term unemployed, of which she is one. After our conversation, I asked her to put her thoughts in an email. Here’s what she ...

  The Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates untouched was born out of optimism and apprehension. In the end, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) resorted to a studied restraint. And while doing so, they issued an upbeat statement about the improving economic conditions in the US, but didn’t rule out the possibility of hiking the rates should there ...