¶ … Macroeconomic Trends in the United States
The corner appears to have been turned after the subprime mortgage meltdown and the Great Recession of 2008 that followed. Despite this economic downturn, though, the U.S. economy is well on its way to recovering to pre-recession levels, inflation is at manageable levels and the nation's unemployment level continues to improve. The economic policies and stimulus monies that were used by the current executive administration to help the economy recover have done their job and the Great Recession was not as long or as severe as it would have been otherwise. To determine if these assertions are accurate and timely, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning current macroeconomic trends in the United States, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
Review and Discussion
It may be too soon for a celebration, but it is may be safe to start planning for one if some macroeconomic indicators are used. Current macroeconomic data concerning GDP growth in the United States indicate an economic recovery is underway....
After all, U.S. per capita income is among the highest in the world at $49,000, and this level has actually increased modestly in recent years despite the severe economic downturn that occurred during this period. In fact, even during the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession, Americans managed to increase their gross domestic product from $47,400 in 2009 to $48,500 in 2010 to $49,000 by 2011 (United States economy, 2012). Notwithstanding fluctuating oil prices, the inflation rate in the United States remains low at 1.4% in July 2012 (Inflation rate, 2012).
Despite these positive macroeconomic indicators, the Great Recession, together with fluctuating oil prices, resulted in decreased demand for U.S. products abroad, and the U.S. trade deficit decreased during this period, but the trade deficit increased as a concomitant of increases in oil prices took place in 2009 and 2010 (United States economy, 2012). These trade deficits, together with enormous amounts of federal stimulus package funds, have created equally enormous U.S. federal government budget deficits. For instance, according to Schultz and Sullivan…
