In Business This Week

GLOOMY GUSES `R' US

WHERE ARE THOSE POWER Rangers when you need them? After a bummer of a Christmas, Toys `R' Us on Mar. 8 warned analysts that earnings growth would slow this year, citing aggressive pricing and weak video game sales. Phfft went the retailer's stock, dropping 6.5%, to 25; it peaked at nearly 43 early last year. Some analysts remain bullish: Wertheim Schroder Managing Director Robert Schweich praises Toys' investments in new stores overseas and says the current lull in video game sales should end later this year. Says Schweich: "This is one of many buying opportunities."EDITED BY KEITH H. HAMMONDS