Leaders | Growth scares

Will America’s economy swing the election?

It is not entering recession, but it is slowing down. That is bad news for Kamala Harris

A US 25 cent coin as a wrecking ball
image: The Economist/Carl Godfrey

AMERICA’S VOTERS have not given credit to the Biden White House for their country’s economic boom. Will they punish Kamala Harris for a bust? After growing at rates that were the envy of the rich world, the American economy now seems to be slowing. Investors are worried that a recession is just around the corner. On August 2nd, following a disappointing survey of manufacturers and a rise in claims for jobless benefits, they took fright at the news that the country’s unemployment rate had risen to 4.3% in July, its highest since 2021. On August 5th stockmarkets slumped worldwide, before recovering a little lost ground the next day.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Will the economy swing the election?”

From the August 10th 2024 edition

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