Recession talk can be heard from any number of sources these days. Analysts point to omens such as the inverted yield curve and some stocks passing a “death cross” that often warn of a downturn in the near future. Others worry about so-called supply shocks, such as the drone strike on a Saudi oil field or the UAW strike against General Motors.
Nobody really knows when the next recession will happen. The economy started expanding in June 2009. The longest expansion before this was exactly 10 years, from March 1991 to March 2001. Some economists like to say, “No expansion ever died of old age,” but to many, a slowdown seems inevitable. It’s even possible that worries about a recession will trigger that recession.