State of the economy: The vibes vs. the data

If you spend your life looking at economic data, these look like the best of times. Inflation is a mere 3%, and unemployment is hovering near 50-year lows. That, however, is not how the bulk of Americans see it.

Why it matters: Americans' views of the economy are colored by their politics as much as the actual state of the economy.

A crucial question for the 2024 election cycle — not to mention the national state of mind — is whether the quite solid economic backdrop will start to translate into...