      With inflationary fears on the back burner during this period, thereexisted a need for a new soup dujour. Earnings season comes around fourtimes a year and always takes center stage in today's equity market.However, earnings seasons pass. Something big was needed for marketparticipants to sink their teeth into. Inflation was such a juicy issuethat it would certainly be hard to top. It took some time, but sure enough,the media and the analysts were able to spin together a concoction thatwould not only rattle the foundation of the U.S. financial markets, butfinancial markets around the world.