The World Economic Forum is out with its latest global competitiveness rankings today, and the US has fallen to 4th place (which is still really good). Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore are the three countries that are ranked better.

But look beneath the hood, and you'll find serious deterioration in the factors and institutions that underpin our healthy economy.

Take property rights. They're at the essence of US capitalism. Last year, according to the WEF's survey of executives, the US was the 30th best country. This year we've fallen to 40th.

And you'll be stunned at the countries that our better than the US.

(Note: executives were asked to grade each country on a score of 1-7. The end score is the mean of their responses)