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The Us Economy

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The U.S. Economy In 2008, the state of the economy took a major hit. The housing market tanked, consumer spending was down, and the banking system virtually shut down. But after five years of struggling against the tides, and despite the occasional bumps in the road, the US economy is making a strong come back. Combined with the incredible fortitude of the American people and cyclical recovery forces, the economic outlook is stronger than its been in over a decade. A major contributing factor the economic downturn was the housing market. During peak economic activity, single family housing averaged 1.5 million before the housing bubble burst. After the burst, housing began to plunge at an alarming rate of approximately 500,000 for nearly three years. New home sales declined a third of what they were before the collapse, a fate not seen since the 1930’s. But now, the housing market has done a complete turn around and is in full upswing. The number of new home sales has increased and has rebound to its original average of about 2 million nationwide. Some foreclosure units are still in inventory, but that number continues to fall. Demand is also playing a significant role as the U.S. population will continue to increase some 8% over the next decade. This means residential investments will increase by 15% to 20% annually over several years causing a significant ripple affect over the entire economy. (Altman, 2013) During time of hardship, the American people were spending very little on goods and services. Many turned their attention to paying down debt and saving more. Total net worth fell by $13 trillion, a financial down fall that would send Americans into survival mode, where they had no choice but to change their spending habits and eliminate debt. The government recognized this hardship, as GDP began to fall and the country was plummeting into a recession. At

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