Ahead of the Tape
[Today's Market Forecast]</br></br>Beware the Laggards</br></br>Investors today will get a look at weekly jobless claims, and by all accounts the number will be ugly.</br></br>Economists surveyed by Dow Jones and CNBC anticipate a rise of 8,000 claims to 410,000, keeping the four-week moving average well above the 400,000 mark. The disappointing jobs number continues a string of dismal data that stretches back to February, prompting intensifying discussion about whether the economy is going into another prolonged funk.</br></br>But measuring the economy's strength during a time of war, especially one that could end sooner rather than later, is tricky business. The Fed, in its most recent pronouncement, essentially said it couldn't give a read on things until war clouds clear. Economists are busy sorting the "temporary" effects of war from more durable indicators to try to determine what kind of growth to expect this year.