The economy tops the list. Economists remain mystified why. It's no mystery that the current state of the U.S. economy is good. The numbers are undeniable. The U.S. economy grew almost 4 percent in the fourth quarter of 1996.
Inflation is low, interest rates are low, and job creation continues at a slow, but steady, pace.
The mystery is why it is so good. In some quarters there is increasing concern about the long-term prospects for prosperity and special concern about the stock market. A lot of this uncertainty about the future stems from the fact that much of the good news we are now enjoying was unexpected. Few, if any, economists predicted the kind of real economic growth we have been enjoying. The forecasting track record of economists does not inspire much confidence in their current or future predictions.