Growth in US

THE US Business Council, an influential forum of the country's business leaders, has predicted the economy will grow by about 3 per cent in 1993, in line with an estimate by Robert Rubin, President Clinton's chief economic adviser.

But nearly all members of the council indicated that they expected the job market to remain weak for some time. Summing up the opinions of his colleagues, John Welch, corporate executive officer of General Electric, said: 'Higher taxes and higher healthcare costs are in direct conflict with job creation.'