With the U.S. economy moving at stall speed, economists are looking to depressed housing and labor markets, two of the pillars of any consumer economy, to bounce back and help put the economy on its feet again.

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The idea that one of the structural problems that needs to be fixed is anachronistic management is consistent with, and not made unlikely by, depressed wages, many people looking for jobs, and factories running under capacity.

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Then you have the depressed stage: people who have stopped looking and are spiraling deeper and deeper into personal financial and psychological hells.

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Also buying last week were the traditional yield-seeking investors globally, looking for outlets beyond assets at home that provide depressed returns due to artificially low interest rates.

WSJ: Asian Bond Issuance Is Booming

The story begins with Iichiro waking up, looking at the clock, guiltily asking himself whether he might sleep longer, and feeling both anxious and depressed by the realization that he has no reason to get up.

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