downbeat

But if nothing else, the record shows Cat Burns is as human as the rest of us: Anxious, hopeful, downbeat, idealistic, flawed and funny.

It’s a palpable pulse without a deliberate downbeat, through which phrases combine like ingeniously shaped pieces of a puzzle about the idea of time.

Weakness in service sectors, property-sector downturns and downbeat consumer sentiment have limited the post-Covid recovery in jobs and income growth, the fund said.

Overall, the surveys of businesses and consumers cast a downbeat pall on the economy.

“Sentiment on the group is downbeat as well given concerns about margins/growth and optimism for large-cap banks.”