10 Reasons You're Not Feeling Better About the Economy Yet

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) capped a historic run last week, closing at new highs all five days, and ending just shy of 14,400. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor reported that 236,000 jobs were created in February, another recent high.

So, America, are you happy now?

The economic experts and the Wall Street analysts all say you should be. Consumer confidence levels are up more than 11 points since January, and judging from the surveys, most people think things are only getting better. The Wall Street Journal says consumers are "freshly flush" from stock market gains, and starting to feel confident enough to take on debt again. The fourth quarter of 2012 saw consumers taking out new loans at their fastest rate since the economy crashed in 2008.

Sponsored Links

In short, things are going great, and now that the stock market is up nearly 10 percent in the past two months, everyone would really appreciate it if you'd stop worrying so much, buy some stuff, invest in some stocks, and help keep this rally going.

Your 10-point reality check

And yet, if you're feeling somehow left out of the party, and wondering if you're missing something -- that somehow, someway, you are the crazy one.

Well, perhaps not. Turns out, once you remove the pink glasses, and don some green eye-shades instead, not everything looks quite so rosy.

What follows are just 10 examples of why you might be feeling down in the dumps when everyone else acts like you should be living high on the hog.


%Gallery-181373%




Motley Fool contributor Rich Smith owns shares of Bankrate.com.