Mark Zandi, the chief economist and co-founder of Moody's Economy.com was in the midst of a whirlwind day that included two speeches, a panel discussion, a television interview and a visit to the Congressional Budget Office but he still found time for a little extracurricular research.
In a taxi on the way to the Park Hyatt hotel in Washington, where he was making a presentation to a bank-industry group, Zandi turned to the driver. "How's business?" he asked.
"It's slow," the driver said.
"Is it getting any worse?" Zandi asked.
"No," the driver said. "It's just slow."
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