Economics

Recovery Tracker Dials Up Faster Data to Gauge Depth of Downturn

  • Indicators offer insight into weekly changes in economy
  • With states reopening, economists watching for recovery signs

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

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In just a matter of weeks the coronavirus pandemic slammed the brakes on the U.S. economy, leaving a streak of shuttered businesses and millions of jobless Americans in its wake.

A U.S. recession is all but officially underway. The speed at which the economy has ground to a halt has rendered much of the traditional economic data -- typically released with a lag of about a month -- outdated before it’s even published.