Consumer confidence
The wealth effect from the housing and stock market gains have resulted in improved consumer confidence.
Corporate profits
While consumers are just starting to feel better, businesses have fared well since the downturn, with profits rebounding to record levels.
Personal vs. business spending
Still, as consumers have grown more confident recently, businesses have grown more anxious. Companies have recently been scaling back their spending due to increasing worries about sputtering economic growth around the world.
Overall employment
Souring corporate sentiment could be a worrisome development for a job market that, while still depressed, has been improving. The economy has added 2.1 million jobs in the past year, but it is still more than 4 million jobs shy of where it was in January 2008.
Public vs. private employment
The private sector has added some jobs, while the government has been shedding them, at least until recently.
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