As the United States economy heads into 2026, the report card emerging on its performance is complicated.By many measures, the world’s largest economy appears to be in a strong position.After a tumultuous year marked by President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his swing towards tariffs and protectionism, recent growth has outpaced the expectations of most analysts.In a speech this month, Trump hailed his economic record, insisting that the US was on the cusp of an economic boom the “likes of which the world has never seen”.Yet nestled within the economic data are signs of weakness that hint at risks down the track. And crucially, Americans are widely pessimistic about their material condition.Here are some of the key metrics of the US economy as 2025 draws to a close:GDP growthAfter a modest expansion in the first half of 2025, gross domestic product (GDP) growth blasted past expectations in the July-September quarter to reach an annualised 4.3 percent.That was the strongest performance in two years. It was also well ahead of the US’s fellow developed countries.During the third quarter, the eurozone’s and the United Kingdom’s economies grew just 2.3 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively, on an annualised basis.Japan, the world’s …
