THIS COULD POSE A PROBLEM FOR THE RECOVERY: “This Easter weekend, Americans will spend a lot of money on items such as marshmallow peeps, plush bunnies and fake hay, begging a question: How much does the U.S. economy depend on purchases of goods and services people don’t absolutely need? As it turns out, quite a lot.”

UPDATE: Reader John Marcoux writes: “I’ve said it before, and it seems especially so to me now, there is nothing in Best Buy that I really need. I think most people are capable of accepting that. Hence the problem for the economy, and for stocks if the sidelined boomers don’t take the bait and finally lunge back into the market.”