Recession

In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction that occurs when there is a period of broad decline in economic activity.[1][2] Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various events, such as a financial crisis, an external trade shock, an adverse supply shock, the bursting of an economic bubble, or a large-scale anthropogenic or natural disaster (e.g. a pandemic). There is no official definition of a recession, according to the IMF.[3]

In the United States, a recession is defined as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the market, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales."[4] The European Union has adopted a similar definition.[5][6] In the United Kingdom and Canada, a recession is defined as negative economic growth for two consecutive quarters.[11]

Governments usually respond to recessions by adopting expansionary macroeconomic policies, such as increasing money supply and decreasing interest rates or increasing government spending and decreasing taxation.

  1. ^ "recession". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  2. ^ "Recession definition". Encarta World English Dictionary [North American Edition]. Microsoft Corporation. 2007. Archived from the original on 28 March 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
  3. ^ Claessens, Stijn; Kose, M. Ayhan (2011). "Recession: When Bad Times Prevail - Back to Basics". International Monetary Fund.
  4. ^ "Business Cycle Dating Committee Announcement January 7, 2008". www.nber.org. 7 January 2008.
  5. ^ "FAQ | EABCN". eabcn.org. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  6. ^ "The CEPR and NBER Approaches". eabcn.org. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Q&A: What is a recession?". BBC News. 8 July 2008.
  8. ^ "Glossary of Treasury terms". HM Treasury. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  9. ^ Bonham, Mark S.; Poulin, Jessica (6 July 2023). "Recession in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  10. ^ Deveau, Denise (3 August 2022). "An economist explains: What to know about a recession". CPA Canada. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  11. ^ [7][8][9][10]