The recession hit Americans hard. Unemployment rates rose extraordinarily high, the house prices dropped significantly, and the auto industry failed. For a decade, the nation suffered under the poor economy. The national government trade stimulus packages, the auto bailout and reducing taxes on businesses. These efforts were not in vain. The economy is showing signs of recovery and Americans can be optimistic that the full recovery is close.
Holiday Shopping is Up
In a consumer economy, the holiday shopping numbers are important. Happily, the numbers are up nearly 10 percent as Americans whittle down their holiday shopping lists. Both online and in stores, more Americans are willing to part with their hard earned money, a sign that there is more to go around.
Rise in Illegal Immigrants
Ironically, one of the strongest signs of an improving economy is the number of illegal immigrants invading the United States from Mexico. During the height of the recession, more people crossed into Mexico than people entered the United States. In 2012, the opposite is true. Economists believe the increase in illegal immigrants heralds a rising economy. After all, immigrants would not enter a country without the promise of jobs and better lives for their families.
Increased Business Growth
Businesses are expanding in value and profits. This results in hiring new employees rather than laying them off or maintaining a small number. The expansion of business means fewer unemployed individuals or shorter period between jobs.
Visible Housing Recovery
One of the most disturbing indicators of the recession was lower house values because of the increase of foreclosures. This resulted in homeowners paying for homes that were worth less than the mortgage amount. Good news came for homeowners in November 2012 with reports of increasing home sales.
Lower Unemployment Rate
The number of unemployed has been the standard for the depth of the recession since the beginning. Unemployment rates were down in September, another good sign. Even a small improvement clearly shows an improvement in the economy and possibly the end of the recession. And that’s great news for Americans.
Americans should be optimistic about a recovering economy. After all, the signs of an improving economy are visible everywhere. America is not out of the woods yet, though. The unemployment rate is still high and the debt shakeout continues to unravel. The housing market may take years to recover because of this. It may be many years before homes rebound to pre-recession values. Given that prices were inflated, creating much of the problem in the first place, it would be unrealistic to expect to see high home values again any time soon. But a strong economic recovery nears and optimism is the name of the game.
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Programs like EB-5 Visas are also doing their part to stimulate the economy by requiring immigrants to invest in the US economy and create jobs before receiving a green card. Find out more about the program at cn.eb5investors.com.