The U.S. Economy Expanding with Little Inflation - 2005-03-09
The U.S. economy grew at a moderate pace from late January through February, with little signs of inflation despite rising production costs, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.

``The economy has continued to expand at a moderate pace,'' the Fed said in its beige book summary of economic conditions.

``Retail prices were generally flat or up modestly; however, businesses continued to face rising input costs, and a number of districts indicated greater ease in passing along price increases,'' the Fed said.
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Microsoft's Bill Gates Says U.S. Economy Is `Very Strong' - 2005-03-09
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, the world's richest man, said the U.S. economy is ``very strong'' and more customers are willing to spend money on new technology projects and investments.

``I see a very positive attitude towards the economy and investment'' in information technology, Gates said yesterday in an interview. ``The willingness to invest in new projects is quite high -- not what it was in the late '90s, but we may never see that again in our lifetime.''
Read the full story at Bloomberg