With the economy still
uncertain, JCK’s Big Picture Monday features a weekly summary of economic
indicators impacting the jewelry industry:

– Retail may be seeing “three-year
growth spurt.”

– Fed chairman Bernake predicts 3-4% growth this year.

– Fed Beige Book: Retail
spending “showed
improvement.”   (See “consumer spending.”)

– Small businesses may be growing
again. However, optimism index “remains
weak.”

JCK