Many commentators have portrayed the tech boom of the late 1990s as an era of unprecedented deterioration in the quality of firms undertaking initial public offerings. But as far back as the early 1980s, firms seeking to go public were displaying signs of financial weakness, and the failure rate...

The buildup of debt in the late 1990s has raised concerns about the U.S. nonfinancial corporate sector's health and its vulnerability to economic downturns. An analysis of the sector suggests that while small firms are experiencing some weakness, corporations as a group are in good financial shape

The buildup of debt in the late 1990s has raised concerns about the U.S. nonfinancial corporate sector's health and its vulnerability to economic downturns. An analysis of the sector suggests that while small firms are experiencing some weakness, corporations as a group are in good financial shape.