DIGEST: DOLLAR VS. JAPANESE YEN (N.Y.)
Consumer confidence fell slightly in February from January, when it was the lowest since just after the October 1987 stock market crash. The consumer confidence index, compiled by the Conference Board, fell to</br></br>Business economists believe the U.S. economy will avoid a recession for the next three years and break the expansion record set in the 1960s, according to a new survey,</br></br>But the economists indicated that the economy is in a danger zone and is likely to grow only a sluggish 1.7 percent this year before accelerating to 2.5 percent next year.</br></br>K mart, which has been battling an earnings slump, announced a five-year, $2.3 billion program that calls for opening about 250 new stores and enlarging, relocating and refurbishing hundreds of existing outlets.</br></br>It also calls for closing 30 stores. K mart said it will take a charge of about $640 million against 1989 earnings to cover the costs.