Share
The Atlantic Subscription
The American economy is reopening. In Alabama, gyms are back in business. In Georgia, restaurants are seating customers again. In Texas, the bars are packed. And in Vermont, the stay-at-home order has been lifted. People are still frightened. Americans are still dying. But the next, queasy phase of the coronavirus pandemic is upon us. And it seems likely that the financial nadir, the point at which the economy stops collapsing and begins growing again, has passed.
What will the recovery look like? At this fraught moment, no one knows enough about consumer sentiment and government ordinances and business failures and stimulus packages and the spread of the disease to make solid predictions about the future. The Trump administration and some bullish financial forecasters are arguing that we will end up with a strong, V-shaped rebound, with economic activity surging right back to where it was in no time. Others are betting on a longer, slower, U-shaped turnaround, with the pain extending for a year or three. Still others are sketching out a kind of flaccid check mark, its long tail sagging torpid into the future.
Excitement about reopening aside, that third and most miserable course is the one we appear to be on. The country will rebound, as things reopen. The bounce will seem remarkable, given how big the drop was: Retail sales rose 18 percent in May, and the economy added 2.5 million jobs. But absent dramatic policy action, a pandemic depression is possible: the Congressional Budget Office anticipates that the American economy will generate $8 trillion less in economic activity over the next decade than it projected just a few months ago, and that a full recovery might not take hold until the 2030s.
By Annie Lowrey
RELATED TOPICS:
California Leaders Take Sides in Monumental Supreme Court Case on Homelessness
1 hour ago
Man Sets Himself on Fire Outside Trump Hush Money Trial Court
13 hours ago
Real Estate Experts Talk Fresno’s Economic Future. Are Tough Times Ahead?
14 hours ago
Unlocking the Secrets to Fresno State’s Superb Baseball Season
15 hours ago
Get a 3D First Look at Merced’s High-Speed Rail Station Design
17 hours ago
California Court to Decide on Transgender Ballot Measure Wording
17 hours ago
Rare House Vote Sees Ukraine, Israel Aid Advance as Democrats Join Republicans
19 hours ago
The Pickle Flavor Frenzy and Its Rise in Food Trends