-->U.S. ECRI weekly leading index at 81-week low By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Leading economic indicators are pointing to lackluster U.S. growth, the Economic Cycle Research Institute said Friday. The ECRI's weekly leading index fell 1 percent last week, the slowest growth in 81 weeks. The index has fallen for nine straight weeks. The decline shows that the economy is not reacclerating out of the soft patch, ECRI economists say. Oil prices are not the primary cause of the weakness, they said.