Perhaps, then, the troubles were exaggerated, as so many economists have insisted all along.

Before Sept. 11, most executives and some economists insisted that the private sector was the more effective employer in every field.

Some economists insist that bubbles never or almost never occur.

But many economists and corporate financial executives insist that the steep upward trend cannot go on.

Still, many economists insist that wage pressure will increase soon.

More globally inclined economists insist that the creation of a middle class in poor countries overseas benefits everyone.

Although one economist insisted that anti-Semitism had almost disappeared from his country, several others disagreed sharply.

And some economists insist that a similar pattern has re-emerged, though not yet in the official numbers.

And lack of savings to finance these investments, he says, isn't an obstacle, no matter what traditional economists insist.

Some economists, both on the left and the right, insist it matters little.