Consumer sentiment holding up well

Tana Focke, manager of the North American fund at Smith & Williamson Investment Management The market had to absorb a lot of bad news in January including the Argentine crisis, the collapse of Enron and Global Crossing, the suggestions over improper accounting at Tyco, the large losses at AIB and some very poor earnings. However, sentiment has held up well and so has the consumer. There are also signs the economy may be improving. The fall in industrial production in the manufacturing area was 0.1% in December, compared to 0.2% in November. The first indication of risin...