The U.S. Economic Month at a Glance: January 2016

Looking back, 2015 was a good year for the U.S. economy, especially compared with the economic performance in the eurozone, Japan, commodity-exporting countries such as Canada, and many emerging markets. The slack in the job market continued to be absorbed, housing markets improved, and consumer spending was solid—all while the economy was forced to weather the weakness in the global economy, a slumping Chinese economy, and the sharp drop in world oil prices that hurt investment spending.