And as the gloom spreads, one cloud has lifted.
Whether or not the Yankees prevail, there is a sense of gloom spreading elsewhere, as Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times wonders why no one wants to come to Los Angeles anymore.
As economic gloom spreads to America and Europe, and once-emerging economies try to export their way out of a slump, protectionism is on the rise but in a new form.
As automakers dropped their latest batch of awful sales numbers on the market on Tuesday, reinforcing the gloom spreading across the economy, the troubles confronting American workers seemed to intensify.
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, sales are falling in nearly every sector of the economy -- from autos and home building to high technology and department stores -- as gloom spreads beyond the airline and travel industries.
Turnover rose by 13% last year, nearly twice as much as in western Germany, and is expected to rise by nearly as much this year.That helps to explain why the business mood in the east remains so buoyant, despite the past nine months' downturn in the national economy, while gloom spreads in the west.
With gloom spreading, bankers are fearful of revealing their occupation in pubs, politicians are under fire for padding their expense accounts, the gigantic new Westfield London mall on the edge of Shepherd's Bush Green - one of the largest shopping centres in Europe - is eerily quiet, and neither VAT tax cuts nor stimulus programmes can coax consumers into spending more.
Since the attacks, the gloom has spread through service industries.
Now, with the Palestinians and the Israelis concurring about one thing only that matters will get far worse before they perhaps get better the gloom may spread even faster.
