Alan Abelson, former editor of Barron's, The Dow Jones business and financial Weekly, from 1981 to March 1993, writes the weekly column “Up & Down Wall Street” that he started in 1966.

Alan Abelson joined Barron's in 1956, editing the Investment News & Views section and writing corporate and industry features. In 1965 he was named managing editor of the magazine, and in 1981 he became Barron's editor.

From July 1982 to October 1990, Alan Abelson was the regular business commentator for NBC-TV's News at Sunrise.

Alan Abelson is a native New Yorker. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and English from City College of New York and a Master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Iowa at its Writers’ Workshop.

In 1949, after spending two years in New York City free-lancing and writing book reviews, Alan Abelson was hired as a copy boy for the New York Journal-American. He later became a reporter on the city side and then moved to the financial desk. From 1952 to 1956, he was the paper's stock-market columnist.