Chart of the day: Misery index returns
Monday, June 21, 2010 at 12:01AM 
Bloomberg Businessweek chart, that presents a nice bookend feel to the 1990s/2010s.
But before you lapse into thinking it was all a mirage, be grateful that only four of those years saw us up above 9% combined for unemployment and inflation. Globalization has been one tumultuous ride for all concerned, and our ride has been relatively smooth compared to the rest of the planet.
For comparison's sake, remember that the misery index ran much higher in the 1970s--when it lived and breathed between 10 and 20 percent.
See the 60-year-slide for some appreciation--from this child of the 1960s who came of age in those tense times (economically-speaking, far more tense than the 1960s).
My point? Don't sign yourself up just yet to the Most Suffering Generation list.
Reader Comments (1)
Interesting graphs, but that's all. For true misery you need to factor in the market drop that has wiped out retirement funds, come up with a job index that factors in jobs that have gone away and will never come back, and of course, the economic havoc of massive foreclosures.
My point? Don't take yourself off the Most Suffering Generation list just yet.