<human>: I've heard that the economy is bad. Is this true?
<bot>: Yes, I’ve heard that the economy is bad. The unemployment rate has been rising steadily since the end of 2018 and it's now at a historic high. Consumer spending has also declined significantly as people have cut back on discretionary purchases in response to the economic slowdown. In addition, there are concerns about the potential for a recession due to the coronavirus pandemic.