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THE Tories can look forward to a regular supply of good news about the economy during the election campaign. This week alone brought four lots of helpful data. The public-sector borrowing requirement for February was less than expected; the full-year total, due in April, should be below the government's forecast. Retail sales were surprisingly strong in February, calming fears of a plateau in consumer confidence. The underlying annual rate of inflation (which excludes mortgage costs) fell to 2.9%.