Piling Up Sandbags

Markets were dicey on Friday following a report from the U.S. Commerce Department that said gross domestic product was growing at 3.9 percent annually, not the 4.4 percent that had been expected. The Dow Jones industrial average managed to just barely hold its own last week despite mixed economic news. It finished at 10,411, down 6 points on the week. The University of Michigan’s latest consumer-sentiment index was stronger than expected, but investors remained anxious about June 30, when the handover of power in Iraq takes place and the Fed decides whether or not to raise interest rates.