The more than 1,000-point plunge by the Dow Jones Industrial average Monday, and Friday’s precipitous drop, have many investors jittery. But it’s also given some clarity to the fact that the economy is measured by much more than just the stock market.
The national job numbers for January showed the U.S. economy adding 200,000 positions, a positive development that beat expectations by a healthy amount. And the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1 percent.
But what do those numbers really tell us? Middle-class wages are still lower than most would like, and thousands of people have basically given up on searching for their next job.
Here to talk about that is Jared Bernstein, senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. He was also a member of President Obama’s economic team.
