1.   But the report left many economists struggling to explain why price pressures remain so contained despite the strong economic growth and low unemployment.

2.   That is probably the real meaning of the bulge in business inventories that has left economists shaking their heads, and that on Friday sent bond prices soaring.

3.   While the proposal is stirring new interest, the notion leaves many economists with mixed feelings.

4.   But the decline was at a slightly slower rate than it was in March, leaving some economists to wonder whether the worst of the slowdown may be over.

5.   That left economists fretting about a loss of productivity.

6.   That has left some economists forecasting that the Monetary Policy Committee will begin raising interest rates this spring or summer.