October 22, 2002	Tuesday	Sha’aban 15,1423

WASHINGTON, Oct 21: A key barometer of the US economic outlook fell for the fourth month in a row in September, raising fears about the recovery, the Conference Board said on Monday.

The private research group’s composite index of leading economic indicators, which aims to predict economic activity in the coming months, fell 0.2 per cent in September from the previous month. The index, based on a basket of data such as new housing projects, had dropped 0.1 per cent in August.

Four consecutive declines in the leading economic indicators once again raises the question of a double dip (return to recession after a brief recovery), said Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein. But a stalling out of growth is a more reasonable prospect than the economy falling back into recession, he added.

A separate coincident index of current economic activity was unchanged in September after rising 0.1% in August.—AFP