Investment Figures of the Week

Investment Figures of the Week

Stocks hit a brick wall, despite surprisingly strong third-quarter earnings.

The reason: surging interest rates and fears of more to come. Especially

disturbing to the bond vigilantes was that Fed Vice-Chairman Alan Blinder in a

television interview said Fed tightening so far this year had failed to slow

the economy. Still, inflation seems muted, and the price of gold is no higher

than it was a year ago. The technical indicators shown on this page all read

positive. So if rates retreat a bit, the market could really rally.