The Economy

[MajorRewrite]

Update with inflation data …
Summary of 2025 economy vs 2024 economy:

Unemployment rate
2024: 4.1%
2025: 4.4%

Jobs created:
2024: 2,200,000
2025: 584,000

Manufacturing employment (total, in December):
2024: 12,760,000
2025: 12,692,000

Value of the dollar (DXY index):
2024: up 7%
2025: down 9%

S&P 500:
2024: up 23%
2025: up 16%

Groceries Cost:
2024: up 1.7%
2025: up 2.4%

Medical Care Cost:
2024: up 2.83%
2025: up 3.15%

Housing Cost:
2024: up 4.07%
2025: up 3.60%

Core Inflation Rate (excludes food and energy)(core CPI):
2024: 3.2%
2025: 2.6%