The head of the U.S. central bank says the sharp economic decline may be slowing down.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says recent data on the housing industry and consumer spending show some improvement.

Inremarks prepared for a college audience, Bernanke said the U.S. economyfaces no problems that can not be overcome with "insight, patience andpersistence."

A government report out Tuesday may test the Fedchairman's patience because it shows a 1.1 percent drop in retail salesin March. Economists were expecting a slight gain. They track retailsales closely because consumer demand drives most U.S. economicactivity.

President Barack Obama gestures during his town hall meeting at Tophane Cultural Center in Istanbul, 07 Apr 2009U.S. President Barack Obama is to deliver a majorspeech on the economy Tuesday, as his administration works to reversethe recession.

The White House says the president will updatethe nation about his efforts to heal the ailing economy, and discusswhat still must be done to get the economy moving again.  

WhenMr. Obama took office in January, he inherited the worst financialcrisis to hit the United States since the Great Depression.

Sincethen, his administration has approved billions of dollars in stimulusfunds to try to jump-start the economy and stabilize major banks thatwere on the verge of collapse.



Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.