Economists Agree A Recession Is Coming Soon

Credit: Wall Street Journal

A new survey of economists points toward a recession on the horizon.

A recession is probably coming within the next two years, with 72% of economists assuming the next recession will hit before the end of 2021.

The survey by the National Association for Business Economics came out on Monday, using data from about 200 top economists. The current estimates that they are giving are up from earlier this year. In February, just 67% of economists assumed a recession is imminent, but recent changes have caused the figure to rise again. The current 72% of economists ringing the alarm bell is composed of the 38% of economists who expect to see a recession in 2020 and another 34% who expect one in 2021. The earlier estimate saw 42% of economists forecasting a recession for 2020, and only 25% for 2021.

This most recent survey came before the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates. At the time, there weren’t the same recession concerns in the financial markets, either. Economists and investors alike have been growing more jittery over trade tensions that have been building up on several continents recently. The business economists in the survey cited the trade relationship between the US and China as a major risk to the economy. The White House’s optimistic tone hasn’t been quite so alarmist. The administration is pointing to “rich” consumers, who are spending more following earlier tax cuts.

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