The world financial community is looking for clues as to what will ensue from the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan.

The U.S. airstrikes and ground action against terrorist targets in Afghanistan and the spate of anthrax attacks in the United States have cast a shadow over the outlook for the world economy, imperiling company profits and returns on equity investments.

The longer the war drags on, the deeper the U.S. economy will slide into a recession, triggering a wholesale collapse in consumer confidence, which has been the only bright spot in the U.S. economy in recent months.