US Economy: A Snapshot
The U.S. Economy: A Snapshot
The economy of the United States has been a land of mixed messages since the September 11th terrorist attacks, with seemingly wild swings in stock prices, but it remains to be seen whether that event will push us deeper into recession or be the impetus for recovery. Due to the unprecedented nature of the attacks, it?s possible to find an expert to support virtually any conclusion a writer wishes to make. By taking a methodical look at the traditional goals and measures of an economy, hopefully we can understand where we currently are, and where we?re going.
The three macroeconomic goals of low inflation, low unemployment, and high economic growth form the basis of our analysis.
The inflation rate is hovering in the 2.5% range at the moment. With consumer confidence at very low levels due to the terrorist attacks, consumers are spending less and saving more. The Fed has dropped interest rates 10 times in the last 11 months to spur the economy, with little success. The down side of this is that when confidence levels come back up, consumers are likely to spend some of that money they?ve been saving,
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