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Oct 2022
29m 38s

The US Middle Class Is Doing Fine. Why A...

Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Hello and welcome to The Big Take Podcast!

Today: The good news, and not so good news, about the US middle class. With inflation rising, the stock market ping-ponging and housing prices softening, that broad swath of Americans who form the backbone of the US economy are getting hit on all sides. Bloomberg reporters Shawn Donnan, Alex Tanzi, Claire Ballentine and Airielle Lowe teamed up to take a look at how middle-income Americans are doing. The answer: Not so badly, actually–at least on paper.

Even so, they’re worried about what’s next for them. And they have good reason to be.

Shawn sits down with Wes to share the results from their exclusive polling and what these precarious economic times mean for the fortunes of working Americans.

Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3faCxwM

Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK 

Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.

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