Overview

Wall Street continued to rally. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 5.7% over the week, despite further signs that America's recovery is stalling. The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators fell in September for the fourth consecutive month. Yet a surge in imports shows that domestic spending remains strong: the visible-trade deficit widened to a record $42.3 billion in August; its 12-month deficit swelled to $447 billion.