The final batch of business statistics issued before the presidential election gave a clear signal: now that the campaign's last heady hurrah has faded, the victor faces a tough task in getting the laggard economy back on schedule. With few exceptions, the indicators point to continuing sluggishness in the business growth needed to create jobs, sales and profits. The most disappointing disclosure: the Government's composite index of leading indicators, which had risen for 17 consecutive months as the economy climbed out of its worst recession in decades, fell .7% in September—the second...
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