Sure, things look rosy for Goldman Sachs (GS.N), but the firm hardly represents the broad U.S. economic situation, as investors are looking over a mélange of lousy data, with dribs and drabs of mildly encouraging information in the mix. Goldman Sachs headquarters building in New York. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Tuesday’s retail sales figures weren’t all that great – the strength comes from auto sales and rising gasoline prices (and rising gas prices aren’t exactly great for consumers) – and Wednesday’s data on capacity utilization and energy inventories are likely to confirm the ongoing slack in the economy.