More Evidence of Sluggish Economy

Asha Bangalore of Northern Trust agrees with me that things may not be as rosy as financial analysts and pundits want us to believe. In her recent daily economic commentary, Bangalore sees a "Whiff of Decelerating Trend in Second Tier Economic Reports." While she is in no way alarmist, she does imply a concern that economic activity is slowing down. What she sees includes the following:

• An increase in the four-week moving average in initial jobless claims.
• A drop in the rate of growth in the factory sector.
• A decrease in the Conference Board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators.