Europe, China Struggle, Underscoring Stark Economic Divide With US

The increasingly stark divide between a still-thriving US economy and floundering activity in the rest of the world was on display Tuesday. The European economy suffered a slight contraction in Q3, Eurostat said. Economists expected a flat reading. The 0.1% drop wasn't pronounced by any means, but it did mark the fourth consecutive quarter of stagnation. That's not an especially encouraging picture. Rate hikes are plainly curbing activity, but it's not just that. Uncertainty is pervasive, t