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While there are some risks and worries, economists' outlook for 2011 is generally positive -- with forecasts calling for decent economic growth, fairly stable consumer prices and rising stock prices.

The price of the main U.S. oil contract hit $100 a barrel Wednesday — the highest in more than two years. And when the price of oil rises, the price of just about everything else — driving, heating, eating, shopping and more — starts to move up too. Is it time to get really worried?

The economy grew at a 2.0 percent pace in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said in its final economic snapshot before Tuesday's midterm elections. Gross domestic product grew faster than in the spring, but was still below the activity levels seen when the year began.

The nation's biggest retailers began gearing up for the busy post-Thanksgiving shopping day months ago. The Conference Board predicts U.S. households will spend about 7 percent less on gifts this season than last year. At a Target store in Maryland, some shoppers were up early looking for specific items.

Many families are living with what one researcher calls "financial fragility." That is they're just one job loss — or even one car breakdown — away from tumbling into real financial trouble.

Watching the price of oil go up these days is a little like watching a river rise. At what point do we need to get the sandbags? When should we sound the warning horns? What is flood stage?

Desperate operators of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, on Wednesday are having second thoughts about a plan to stave off a meltdown in a fire-damaged reactor by dumping water on it by helicopter.

High levels of radiation were blamed for the evacuation. Japan's chief Cabinet secretary said white smoke was rising from the No. 3 reactor at the crippled Fukushima Daichi power plant. He said there may be a problem with the reactor's containment vessel. The developments follow a new fire at an already fire-damaged No. 4 reactor.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has been summoned to Washington to explain derogatory comments about President Obama and his colleagues, administration officials said Tuesday.

As the government encourages people to respond to the census, some groups say the questions about racial identification make them uncomfortable. Some Arab-Americans encourage others in their community to check "some other race" on their census forms.