We thought we avoided recession. Turns out we're not in the clear yet.

The hope of a soft landing for the US economy heated up over the summer, but now signs and attitudes are shifting to be more negative again.

Even as interest rates skyrocketed over the past 18 months, a good job market and strong consumer spending kept the US economy moving. This had experts and investors feeling a bit more optimistic that inflation could be defeated without a recession.

In an August economic policy survey, the National Association of Business Economics found that 69% of business economists polled called a soft landing at least somewhat likely — up from 30% in March. Likewise, a July Bank of America survey found 68% of surveyed fund managers expected a slowdown in the economy without a recession.