In a November 28, 2014 article, The Wall Street Journal notes: “Economic prospects are flagging across Europe, Japan and big emerging markets such as India, a turn that presents fresh challenges to the relatively robust U.S. economy at a time when the world needs a dependable growth engine…

“The low-growth outlook is raising questions over whether weak demand could wash onto U.S. shores in the coming months, even as American businesses and consumers benefit from falling gasoline prices heading into the holiday shopping season.… The U.S. economy is better insulated from a downturn in global growth because, among the world’s major economies, it is less reliant on overseas export demand.”

Read the full article: http://online.wsj.com/articles/fresh-signs-of-global-slump-challenge-u-s-1417221963?KEYWORDS=2013+economic+outlook