How the Recession of 2020 Could Happen

Neil Irwin: “So if there’s going to be a recession in 2020 — if the pessimistic signals in the financial markets prove correct — how would it happen? There are plenty of clues, in the details of recent economic reports, in signals from the markets, and in the recent history of recessions and near recessions.”

“President Trump’s on-again-off-again execution of the trade war with China and other countries has fed uncertainty into businesses’ decision-making. Corporate investment spending is softening, despite the big tax cut that Mr. Trump said would boost it. And the combination of central banks that are at the outer limits of their ability to stimulate growth, and an inward turn by many countries, could make governments less effective at responding to a downturn.”

The Hill: “Comedian Bill Maher on Friday continued his calls for another economic recession, claiming it would tank President Trump’s shot at reelection in 2020 and be ‘very worth’ ending his policies.”