President-elect Barack Obama promises to make every effort to change the course of a slumping economy and take a new approach to economic challenges. But he cautions that a turnaround won’t happen overnight.
In the United States, consumer spending makes up just more than 70 percent of gross domestic product, which measures a nation's economy. The U.S. savings rate is the lowest in the world. Here's a look at how U.S. spending and savings compare with other large economies.
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“The only way to avoid a collapse of the U.S. auto industry is for the executive branch to step in.” President Bush
"It's … a psychological move to show the market the Fed is still there and still willing to do whatever it takes." Richard Sylla, financial historian at New York University
"We will have a global financial regulator at about the same time we have a global army." Barry Eichengreen, economist, University of California, Berkley
"The economic belly of the United States got hit." Scheherazade Rehman, a business scholar
As Barack Obama prepares to assume the presidency in January, he and his team of advisers are busy choosing the next group of leaders for the U.S. government's many agencies.
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