economic hardship

The American economy, by many measures, is doing better than it has done in years. But for many Americans, that is not how it feels. Their feelings point to an enduring mystery: Why do Americans feel so bad when the economy is so good?

Jeanna Smialek, who covers the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for The Times, discusses a new way to understand the disconnect. 

Guest: Jeanna Smialek, a reporter covering the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Video: What’s causing the “bad vibes” in the economy?
• Consumer spending has been strong in 2023 despite higher prices and waning savings. But some retailers have jitters heading into Black Friday.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

The Times Briefing for the Morning of Wednesday 26th April

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Across America, businesses are scaling back, firing workers and shutting their doors because of the coronavirus. New York’s Chinatown has been experiencing a downturn for weeks as anxiety and discrimination affected business. Now, the state government has mandated nonessential businesses in the city keep 75 percent of their workers home. So what did it sound like as one of the busiest cities in the world ground to a halt? Five producers at “The Daily,” Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Jessica Cheung, Daniel Guillemette and Andy Mills, spoke to small business owners to find out. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• With so many businesses being forced to close, some indefinitely, claims for jobless benefits surged 33 percent last week. Here are the latest updates on the crisis and its impact on daily life across America.
• As so much of life begins to shift, we have answers to some common questions about the coronavirus crisis.