We went back to those same experts to see how things played out, and what they’re keeping their eye on in the future. When the pandemic began, the BBC spoke to some economists to make sense of what was happening to the US economy.
He believes these supports, which included direct payments to Americans and extended unemployment benefits, helped keep many people afloat even when they were out of work.
Last June, he likened the pandemic to a hurricane, which wipes out businesses and homes indiscriminately.
For Mr Knoop, his long-term concern is about how uneven the country’s economic recovery has been. Some people have thrived, while others have struggled, often along long-established fault lines of inequality such as race and gender, he says.