Consumer con!dence falls, home sales # at

Consumer con dence unexpectedly fell to a twoyear low in October as higher energy prices left Americanswith less to spend, raising concern about the holiday shopping season. The Conference Board said Tuesday it con dence index fell to 85 from 87.5 in September. Another report showed U.S. sales of previously owned homes held in September at the secondhighest level ever. The National Association of Realtors reported that saleswere unchanged in September at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 7.28 million.