Compared to previous V-shaped recoveries, this one is not looking too rosy. From consumption to GDP, and from retail sales to consumer sentiment, the following charts show how we are doing in context. So, the next time someone on TV tells you how great we are doing, perhaps a glance at these charts will flush some of the recency bias away. There is one bright shining 'better than any other recovery' segment though... one that is dominated by record levels of stuffed channels [5] - can you guess?
[6]
Charts: Barclays