It's just that we're not as lousy as the BEA says we are. And that probably is reality. I'd say that's probably where we're at. Just because the market has taken off in the last several years, and we have all these capital gains accruing to households, the savings rate looks a lot lower than really what is indicative of our savings patterns. Economist Mark Zandi.
Consumer spending is helping offset the negative effects of the Asia crisis on our economy.
That, no doubt, will make shopaholics feel less guilty next time they plunk down their credit cards at the mall. The yen is on another downward slide on global currency markets. At around 145 yen to the dollar, Japan's currency is nearly as low as it was in June when the U.S. and Japan intervened to prop up the troubled currency. Marketplace's John Dimsdale looked into it. But the fix was only temporary.