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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Lauren Aratani in New York

If the US is heading for a soft landing, why do people feel so hard up?

Illustration of the United States landing on a pillow in a barren wasteland.

The last few months have been filled with great news, according to US economists. Inflation is a hair’s breadth from pre-pandemic levels, unemployment is close to a 50-year low. The stock market keeps hitting record highs. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates last month, the first time since 2020. Some economists have gone so far as to say that the economy we’re living in is one of the best seen in decades.

And yet, as the US heads to the polls, many Americans believe the economy stinks. It’s a disconnect that could ultimately decide who takes the White House.

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