Jessica Mendoza

The U.S.

is living through an unusual economic situation right now, a kind of split-screen reality.

The country is now in the throes of the highest inflation it's seen in three years, and people are feeling it.

Last month, polling from the University of Michigan showed consumer sentiment is at its lowest point in more than 70 years.

So I think we all just feel that prices have risen a lot, you know.

Our colleague Harriet Torrey covers the economy, and she's experienced for herself what she's been reporting on, like when she's at the gas station.

It definitely cost me a lot more to fill up my Subaru than it did a few months ago.

Or at a local shop, buying a $7 candy bar.

Hi, can I get a bar of the Dubai chocolate, please?

Okay, thanks a lot.

Or when she was at the supermarket the other day, picking up dinner.

But then there's the other side of the split screen.

Economic metrics that seem to tell a very different story.

The U.S.

economy delivered a surprisingly strong jobs report in May.

Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power.

I'm Jessica Mendoza.

It's Wednesday, June 17th.

Coming up on the show, the economic boom that feels like a bust.

If you look at a lot of the data coming out about the economy right now, the U.S.