Where Colorado's economy stands

A new economic outlook from Moody's Analytics indicates that Colorado's economy is "treading water" as 22 other states are at risk for a downturn or already experiencing a recession.

State of play: The diagnosis is the latest warning to Colorado policymakers who are eyeing ongoing budget cuts at the state and local levels.

• A nonpartisan legislative analysis issued in September sounded an alarm that "recession risk is high" as economic indicators put Colorado "in a precarious position."
• The factors driving the economy southward include rising unemployment, partly from federal job cuts, alongside tariffs and slower immigration.

The latest: In his analysis, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, also modeled job production, industrial output, personal income and housing starts.

• He found the economy expanding in 16 states and 14 "treading water."

The bottom line: "My takeaway is not that the economy is in recession, but it's pretty darn close," he says.