By Evelina M. Tainer, Chief Economist, Econoday
April 12, 2002

Last week's employment report was weaker than expected and set the stage for slower economic news from the month of March. The few indicators that were reported this week continued the trend of sluggish activity. Retail sales were anemic, consumer confidence dipped and jobless claims remained above 400,000 for the third straight week. Coupled with the tensions in the Middle East, it is no wonder market players are skittish. Equity prices are moving lower again and bond prices are up.