THE ECONOMY MAY BE SPUTTERING, sti...

THE ECONOMY MAY BE SPUTTERING, still you wouldn't know it by dint of reviewing the public builders' late quarterly reports, filled with double-digit order and earnings development At Centex, orders are up 20 percent compared to 2001 with a corresponding 13 percent rise in quarterly earnings for share (EPS). Other builders also reported year-over-year EP gains, of that kind as Ryland (32 percent), KB family circle (33 percent), and NVR (46