Looking Ahead: Week of February 4 to February 8
Market News International compiles a market consensus that surveys 15 to 20 economists each week.

Tuesday
Factory orders are predicted to post an increase of 1.3 percent in December after decreasing 3.3 percent in November. This represents the rise already reported for durable goods orders. (Forecast range: 0.6 to 1.9 percent)

Wednesday
Economists predict that the Labor Department's advance estimate will show that fourth quarter nonfarm productivity expanded at a 3.2 percent rate after increasing at a more modest 1.5 percent rate in the previous quarter. The slight gain in GDP coupled with the plunge in nonfarm payrolls over the period suggests that productivity gains were robust in the final three months of the year. (Forecast range: 1.3 to 3.7 percent rate) At the same time, unit labor costs are predicted to increase at a 0.7 percent rate, well below the 2.3 percent rate posted in the third quarter. Typically, a healthy rise in productivity is often accompanied by an improvement (smaller rise) in unit labor costs. (Forecast range: -3.5 to +2.6 percent rate)

Thursday
Economists are predicting that new jobless claims will decrease 5,000 to 385,000 in the week ended February 1 after posting three declines over a four- week period in weekly claims. Some economists are viewing this as a sign of economic recovery since claims are a leading indicator of activity. (Forecast range: -1,000 to +29,000)

Consumer installment credit is expected to expand by $8 billion in December, less than the $19.9 billion spurt recorded in November. The slower pace of new credit expansion comes from a decline in motor vehicle sales, which had caused the bubble in November. (Forecast range: 0.8 to 1.4 percent)