... On the back of strong productivity growth, resilient consumer spending and an upswing in corporate profits, it surged in the first three months of 2002. George Bush's $42 billion economic-stimulus bill seemingly came too late. But by the summer the recovery was sputtering. A rash of corporate scandals undermined ... already weak investor confidence and sent equity markets into turmoil in July 2002. George Bush's projected $5.6 trillion budget surplus over ten years had almost disappeared and the country seemed set for a "double-dip" recession or the onset ... may also be the lagging eff...

• Word Count: 2819
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate