41.   It also adds, say economists, to the consensus that hopes for an economic rebound increasingly ride with the government.

42.   It will not do to pull the old analyses of the Great Depression out and apply them to Japan, says the economist.

43.   It would take a much longer shutdown to disrupt the huge and flexible national economy, the economists said.

44.   Japanese household spending fell in November for the first time in three months as bankruptcies in the financial industry sparked concern about wages and job security, economists said.

45.   Japanese manufacturers are likely to continue exporting their way to recovery, economists said.

46.   JAPANESE industrial production likely fell in October from September as manufacturers scaled back output in an effort to reduce inventories built up this summer, economists said.

47.   Letting the currency weaken slightly might help spur exports -- or it could be a catalyst that sets off an even steeper decline, economists said.

48.   Los Angeles area consumer prices edged up slightly in April, reflecting higher tabs for produce but inflation remains in check, economists said Friday.

49.   Mirroring recent Christmases, spending on audio and video equipment, computers and home furnishings are expected to be strong this year, economists said.

50.   Most of those sales were completed, and that should keep housing starts declining through the latter part of the year, economists said.