MULTIPLE CHOICE (identify the one best answer below and explain your reasoning for each option): When businesses are pessimistic about the future and invest less than they had planned, then:

a. In the short-run, the firms hire fewer workers, overall consumption in the economy falls, aggregate demand falls, and the price level increases.

b. Over time (long-run), prices and nominal wages adjust downwards; this decreases the costs of production, and decreases the short-run aggregate supply.

c. In the long-run, the self-correcting mechanism results in a return to full-employment GDP but at a higher price level.

d. All of the above. e. None of the above.