BizJournals Portfolio
Aug 12 2008 11:12am EDT

Chart of the Day: Anxiety Returns

Last quarter, the economists polled by the Philadelphia Fed for its Survey of Professional Forecasters said, on average, that the chances of a negative G.D.P. reading for the third and fourth quarter were 29.9 percent and 24.3, respectively.

In today's release, the Philly Fed reports that economists think these probabilities are now much higher: at 34.4 percent and 46.6 percent. The Anxiety Index, "the probability of a decline in real G.D.P. in the quarter after a survey is taken," has been a very reliable indicator of recessions. Since 1968, every quarter in which the index was over 40 percent was later determined to be recessionary:

anxiety.Q308.gif

Forecasts for third-quarter G.D.P. were also reduced from 1.7 percent to 1.2 percent and prospects for job growth were sliced. Economists now think job cutting will extend into the first three months of 2009. That would mean 15 straight months of job losses, similar to the last recession:

job-losses.gif


Comments

If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.


Connect With Portfolio.com

Come on, like us—you know you want to.

Follow us and if you're an innovative entrepreneur, we'll return the favor.

Today's top stories, conversation starters, and the back nine business bites.

spotlight on

Slideshows

500 Startups Hits New York

Dave McClure's brainchild makes its way to New York and introduces East Coast money folks to some intriguing new companies. View Slideshow