But a better barometer of summer may well be the lunchtime concert in the middle of the business district here.

"In terms of our ability to return to profitability, Christmas 1993 will be a much better barometer," he said.

A better barometer might be "well done" or "poorly done."

A far better barometer," he said, "would be to ask how many fans attended games before the strike?

Sales in stores open at least one year, which analysts regard as a better barometer of a retailer's performance, dropped 10.1 percent.

Sales in stores open at least a year, which analysts consider a better barometer of a retailer's health, dropped 3.4 percent.

The five-year note, he argued, "is a better barometer as to the way the market feels about interest rates."

"The people are sometimes a better barometer," he said.

Shinjo, though, was a better barometer for Japanese players.

Sales in stores open at least one year, a better barometer of a retail company's performance, declined 7.9 percent.