Recently, Vanguard has begun urging people to contribute 12% to 15%, including the employer contribution, because of the stock market's weak returns and uncertainty about the future of Social Security and Medicare.

WSJ: Boomers Find 401(k) Plans Come Up Short

Their reluctance to invest may have more to do with regulatory, financial and fiscal uncertainty than weak consumer demand (see article).

ECONOMIST: Global economic policy

The group blamed the weak UK economy, uncertainty over the global economic outlook and a delay in fulfilling an order for 1, 000 taxis from Azerbaijan.

BBC: Manganese Bronze to call in administrators