Quantitative easing appeared to have stabilised the growth of this measure, though at a sluggish rate, in the second quarter of 2009.
The problem with raising rates in a sluggish economy is that rate hikes are detrimental to growth.
The economy remains sluggish, and the national unemployment rate continues to hover around 8%, where it has stayed for a painfully long time.
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Apart from a slowing growth rate, rising prices and sluggish industrial production have also been a source of concern for the government.
France is struggling in the face of sluggish economic growth and a 10% unemployment rate.
Since growth in the U.S. is sluggish at best right now, inflation and rate increases may not be as big a danger as some fear-mongers would lead you to believe.
With the sluggish U.S. economy, the high unemployment rate, the real estate bust, the political paralysis in Washington, the European debt crisis and terrorism, there are a ton of bricks in the wall.
The slowing of the rate of health care cost increases comes amid a sluggish economy and a period of high unemployment that has made it easier for companies to reduce benefits of their workers.
At the start of U.S. trading, stocks were firmer--with investors anticipating more rate-cut action from the Fed after last week's sluggish economic data.
Bonds are the only thing keeping investment banks afloat right now: sluggish economies and dire stockmarkets have increased the attractiveness of something that pays a fixed rate of interest.
Fortunately, business investment has done very nicely, thank you, despite the sluggish economy growing 8.4% over the past year and at an annual rate of 10.8% over the past two years. (The corresponding growth rates for GDP were about 2%.) So while there's always room for improvement, business investment is not part of the problem.
While the jobless rate has fallen since peaking in 2009, it remains far above precrisis levels, amid sluggish growth.
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The slower rate of job creation from new and young firms is a major reason why employment growth has been sluggish during this particular recovery.
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