Authored by Jeffrey A. Tucker via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),For a few days, ever since the supposedly amazing GDP report from quarter four 2023, we've been blasted by the media about how great the economy is doing. It's exasperating because these claims do not fit with human experience. Last we heard from the Census Bureau, real income is down, and no one doubts it. Everyone has felt strong downgrades in living standards over these last four years.

And yet, no recession has been declared. This is for technical reasons. A recession is supposed to show up in the technical reading of the GDP plus unemployment. We've known for years that the unemployment data is broken. It does not account for labor dropouts or adjust for multiple job holders or otherwise reveal anything about labor participation or remuneration. Unemployment is technically low but so what?