[ZenGum]

Actually, hope and fear are the two main forces at play in the economy.

If we hope that it will get better, we will spend money, hoping we will get some more later, and the movement of that money is economic activity. Things get better (if everyone is doing this).

If we fear that thigns will get worse, we hoard money, and the stationariness of that money is economic stagnation, and things will get worse.

These are self-fulfilling expectations. Hope is in fact the cure.

This is what The Man meant when he declared "We have nothing to fear but fear itself!"