THE RISK-ADJUSTED RETURNS AREN’T GOOD ENOUGH, APPARENTLY: Real Private Investment Flat vs. 1998. “This points to the real growth conundrum: Outside of a completely unexpected housing rebound, private investment can’t possibly grow fast enough to spur a healthy jobs recovery on its own. But the two horses that the U.S. economy has been riding for the last several years are exhausted and unlikely to be refreshed as Washington enters an age of budget austerity.”