Today

U.S. Construction spending was at a record high annual rate of $1.047 trillion in January, this puts it up 0.7% from Decembers pace and is stronger than expected.

The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday that its factory index slowed to 55.3 in February, from 56.4 in January, still expanding however.

The consensus estimate among economists, surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and
CNBC, is for February non-farm payrolls to rise by 225,000.

Year over year the S&P 500 is up 4.63%, however the S&P 600 (Small Cap) is up 14.5% and in new high ground today - and that's impressive.


The national average retail price of diesel fuel rose a whopping 9.8 cents to $2.118 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported.

Philadelphia Federal Reserve President said that he expects 3.75% growth this year and next with inflation under control.

Trouble continues in the Ivory Coast and Cocoa closed at its highest price in over three month.

Germanys unemployment rate is at 11.7%, the highest in seven years.


The unemployment rate in Japan remained at 4.5%, but the economy added 470,000 new jobs.
Japanese household spending increased 8.2% in January, the biggest gain in nine months.
Japans retail sales were up 2.2% in January, the best monthly gain in eight years.

Brazil's GDP increased 5.2% in 2004, the biggest gain since 1994.

U.S. life expectancy at 77.6, a record … Women now have a life expectancy of 80.1 years, 5.3 more than men.