21.   Three or more consecutive declines in the index sometimes signal a recession, but economists caution that the indicator is far from infallible.

22.   To be sure, economists cautioned against reading too much into the jobless numbers, noting that they were affected by seasonal layoffs in the auto industry.

23.   Although the export data were actually slightly better than expected, economists cautioned against calling this a turnaround.

24.   But exports alone may not be enough, economists cautioned.

25.   But all economists cautioned their forecasts will be highly dependent on such unknowable factors as how the U.S. military campaign against the terrorists proceeds.

26.   But economists caution that drastic cuts in the civil service could spark new labor unrest.

27.   But economists cautioned that the improvement was likely to be short-lived as a weak recovery keeps businesses cautious about rehiring.

28.   But economists cautioned that the post-holiday discounting that retailers did to make room for new merchandise is unlikely to occur in February.

29.   But some economists cautioned it could also be due to harsh weather that kept some people home and out of the mall in January.

30.   But the IMF economists cautioned there are significant downside risks that could prevent even its scaled-back growth forecast from being realized.