The average price of diesel fuel at the nation's pumps dropped two-tenths of a cent last week to stand at $1.302 cents per gallon, the Department of Energy reported Monday.

The Department of Energy began filling up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve this month on schedule.

Led by a surge in energy costs, U.S. consumer prices rose 0.3% in March, which was less than Wall Street analysts had been expecting, news services said..

Two economic reports released Friday offered mixed signals about the economy, as retail sales increased 0.2% in March and the producer price index rose 1%. The final numbers in both reports were clouded by the recent spike in oil prices.

The U.S. freight-hauling sector cannot yet say it has left the recession behind, the latest data show, despite widespread reports that the economy is in a recovery.

A key manufacturing index rose to 55.6 in March from 54.7 in February, the second straight increase after a 19-month slump, the Institute for Supply Management said.

The U.S. economy expanded at an annual rate of 1.7% in the fourth quarter of 2001, the fastest pace in a year, as consumer and government spending grew despite the recession, a government report showed Thursday.

Optimism about the U.S. job market helped pushed the consumer confidence index to 110.2 in March from 95 the month before, the New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday.

New orders for durable goods increased 1.5% in February, the third consecutive monthly increase, but a closer look at the report issued by the Commerce Department on Tuesday raised some questions about the overall strength of the recovery..

The White House has agreed to a new border security pact with Mexico aimed at catching terrorists while speeding legitimate trade, New York Times reported Friday.