Recession referees
When GDP growth slows, we are confronted with a familiar question: Are we headed for a recession? Are we maybe in one already?
The colloquial definition of a recession may make it seem clear-cut: two consecutive quarters of declining GDP. But according to the actual committee members who make the call, that's not quite right.
In this episode, we talk to the official committee — the National Bureau of Economic Research's Business Cycle Dating Committee — who look at economic data to decide when we're in a recession, and when the recession is over. And we had questions! Find out what snacks keep them going through their meetings. And what economic indicators they look at, why they take so long to make the call, and what their work can teach us about our strange present economic situation.
This episode was produced by Willa Rubin. It was engineered by Gilly Moon and edited by Jess Jiang.
Music: "Soul Sitar," "Vision" and "Head Nod"
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