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

<p>US economists and everyday Americans seem to live in two different realities – this disconnect could ultimately decide who takes the White House</p><p>The last few months have been filled with great news, according to US economists. Inflation is a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/31/us-inflation-report">hair’s breadth</a> from pre-pandemic levels, unemployment is close to a 50-year low. The stock market keeps hitting record highs. The Federal Reserve <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/18/inflation-fed-rate-cut">cut interest rates </a>last month, the first time since 2020. Some economists have gone so far as to <a href="https://x.com/Markzandi/status/1840488882405614037">say</a> that the economy we’re living in is one of the best seen in decades.</p><p>And yet, as the US heads to the polls, many Americans believe <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/22/poll-economy-recession-biden">the economy stinks. </a>It’s a disconnect that could ultimately decide who takes the White House.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/04/america-economy-election-voters">Continue reading...</a>