Investors continue to be skittish. Except for an all too brief interlude when east coast residents were distracted by a holiday weekend blizzard, nerves were taught. Just how on edge market players are was only too evident on Friday, when a gasoline barge exploded while being off-loaded at a storage facility on Staten Island (one of New York City's five boroughs). Stocks and the dollar fell while bonds and oil rose. Once declared an accident, the markets returned to normal. Terrorism and Iraq continue to hang over markets - and as long as there is uncertainty about the outcome of a possible war, gains will probably be limited.

Aside from a plethora of economic indicators on both sides of the Atlantic and in Japan this week, the U.S. will submit a new resolution to the United Nations this week declaring that Iraq is in violation of past UN resolutions. And Prime Minister Koizumi, at last, is due to announce a successor to Bank of Japan governor Masaru Hayami. Hayami's term ends in just a few weeks on March 19th.

Last Week's Highlights   •   Global Stock Market Indexes   •   Recap of Global Markets   •   Currencies   •  Indicator Scoreboard

The Bottom Line   •   Looking Ahead