Aside from the slumping stock averages, the signals on the economy's health last week were mixed. On the bright side, the University of Michigan's quarterly Survey of Consumer Attitudes found a "very favorable" outlook for the kind of open-wallet spending needed to continue the recovery. For the first tune in three years, in fact, a majority of the families polled thought it was a favorable time to buy big-ticket household items like furniture, refrigerators and TV sets. Yet other key indicators suggested continued economic softness. In September, retail sales rose an almost imperceptible .1% over August. Higher spending on farm equipment...
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