The U.S. stock market is building on record highs, the housing and automotive markets continue to recover, the banking industry has stabilized, gross domestic product continues to grow, the unemployment rate is falling and new jobs are being added every month.
The U.S. economy has added jobs in 39 consecutive months, creating 6.9 million jobs over that time. The Brookings Institute recently forecasted that the national unemployment rate will fall to 6.8 percent by December.
So, with positive economic and employment data at almost every turn, why then, don’t most of us Americans feel good about this economy? Why are we not spinning cartwheels or popping champagne corks?
Read more about this “joyless recovery” in the cover story of the new edition of BizTimes Milwaukee magazine. The edition includes the BizTimes Mid-Year Economic Forecast special report. For additional coverage, view the interview of BizTimes Milwaukee executive editor Steve Jagler on UpFront with Mike Gousha.
