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Serious question, in what circles are those top theories? I am sure C plays into it, and I know I live in a bubble; but I would expect any list of this type to

Serious question, in what circles are those top theories? I am sure C plays into it, and I know I live in a bubble; but I would expect any list of this type to include something like: large scale upward wealth transfers from bailouts/stimulus in 2008/2009 and covid, which has resulted in zombie companies taking over major sectors of the economy; or, trade deficits caused by our money being the global reserve asset have hollowed out the industrial base, obviously economically but also spiritually as people have lost the jobs that made them feel like they contribute to society. Im not trying to get at you or something, I just genuinely want to know where people are talking like this, what do they think about, how do they see things, thats all.

kasey_junk 3y ago
It’s a very common topic in lots of venues. Here is the economist talking about it: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/09/07/the-pandemic-has-broken-a-closely-followed-survey-of-sentiment https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/09/07/the-pand... But as a for instance on one of the things you mentioned, our trade imbalance is less now than it was in the early 2000s. US industrial jobs have been on a negative trend for more than 50 years! That doesn’t correlate with the split between sentiment and other metrics either.
- Geisterde 3y ago
  Thanks for the link; I find myself more sympathetic to the corollary of your second metric, that we are at a 50 year low in industrial work, to be a viable explanation; though ill admit my surpise that trade defecits are lower than the early 2000s, that ill need to dig into more.
  - kasey_junk 3y ago
    There are more workers employed in manufacturing in real terms now than 20 years ago as well. In a % of population basis that’s not true so maybe there is some effect on sentiment based on the % of people employed in that sector? I’ve not seen that put forth as a hypothesis anywhere but I’m certainly not an expert.

kasey_junk 3y ago

It’s a very common topic in lots of venues. Here is the economist talking about it: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/09/07/the-pandemic-has-broken-a-closely-followed-survey-of-sentiment https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/09/07/the-pand... But as a for instance on one of the things you mentioned, our trade imbalance is less now than it was in the early 2000s. US industrial jobs have been on a negative trend for more than 50 years! That doesn’t correlate with the split between sentiment and other metrics either.

Geisterde 3y ago
Thanks for the link; I find myself more sympathetic to the corollary of your second metric, that we are at a 50 year low in industrial work, to be a viable explanation; though ill admit my surpise that trade defecits are lower than the early 2000s, that ill need to dig into more.
- kasey_junk 3y ago
  There are more workers employed in manufacturing in real terms now than 20 years ago as well. In a % of population basis that’s not true so maybe there is some effect on sentiment based on the % of people employed in that sector? I’ve not seen that put forth as a hypothesis anywhere but I’m certainly not an expert.