If the Recession Has Ended, Why Is the Fed So Worried?

Economics / Double Dip Recession
Sep 29, 2010 - 07:26 AM

By: Claus_Vogt

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is the official arbiter of U.S. economic history. It sets the officially accepted dates for the beginning and the end of U.S. recessions. And on September 20, its Business Cycle Dating Committee published an important statement …

It finally declared the end of the recession that began in December 2007. Here is an excerpt from what it had to say:

“The committee determined that a trough in business activity occurred in the U.S. economy in June 2009. The trough marks the end of the recession that began in December 2007 and the beginning of an expansion.

“The recession lasted 18 months, which makes it the longest of any recession since World War II. Previously the longest postwar recessions were those of 1973-75 and 1981-82, both of which lasted 16 months.â€