Economic Health Free Essay

The health of the economy affects every consumer in different ways. If the economy is doing badly, people across the nation can feel it in ways of losing their jobs, cutting back on budgets, or being denied for loans. Many reasons exist why the ways and managing systems of the United States economy should be better understood by citizens. Understanding the economy will give insight to what is going on around every person, in every market, and why. The most common measurement of economic health is the Gross Domestic Product. The Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is given as a percentage of growth from the prior period measured. This is generally done annually. The GDP is used to measure the health of the economy as well as the standard of living. The GDP is like a roller coaster with four phases; expansion, peak, contraction, and trough. The natural rhythm of the growth and contraction of the GDP is known as the business cycle. Factors that influence the business cycle would be things such as business investments, available money and credit, expectations for what is to come, and chan......