Economists are generally optimistic about the economy, but the public hasn't hated it this much in more than a decade. If you're downbeat about the economy and your personal finances, you're far from alone: consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level since 2014 in January, according to a survey by The Conference Board. Yet the word "recession" has dropped from most economic forecasts as the economy has shrugged off disruptions from tariffs, the government shutdown, and a slowdown in the job market. In fact, ...