A generation of consumers became more risk averse, business investment & productivity slumped, and a large cohort of workers witnessed real declines in nominal incomes. 2/
This chart is the clearest representation of the immense damage that emanated from the GFC on the US economy.
In the ~60 years following WWII, US real GDP seemed to grow at ~3% trend like clockwork.
2008 marked the end of this trend, with growth downshifting to ~2% since. 1/

A generation of consumers became more risk averse, business investment & productivity slumped, and a large cohort of workers witnessed real declines in nominal incomes. 2/
The Fed's own estimate of R* now sits at 2.5%, down nearly 200 bps from its estimate in 2012. 3/

I don't think this is as far fetched as conventional wisdom makes it out to be. 4/
Think of the difference between someone who lived through the great depression versus someone who survived WWII. The latter was far more risk seeking than the former. 5/
When in history have we witnessed a ~10% decline in nominal GDP and a coincident 12% INCREASE in nominal income in the same quarter?! Never... 6/

At the beginning of 2020, household debt as a percentage of disposable income was at its lowest levels in ~20 years. 7/

This sounds trite, but the pandemic is a reminder that life is short. There is little point in waiting to start a business. And with HH B/S's healthy, there is no time like the present. 8/
US business applications have surged this year following years of stagnant growth. 9/
