From 2000 to 2001, the Federal Reserve, in a move to protect the economy from the overvalued stock market, made successive interest rate increases. Using the stock market as an unofficial benchmark, a recession would have begun in March 2000 when the NASDAQ crashed following the collapse of the dot-com bubble.

The major causes of the initial subprime mortgage crisis and the following recession include lax lending standards contributing to the real-estate bubbles that have since burst; U.S. government housing policies; and limited regulation of non-depository financial institutions.

However, most recessions are caused by a complex combination of factors, including high interest rates, low consumer confidence, and stagnant wages or reduced real income in the labor market. Other examples of recession causes include bank runs and asset bubbles (see below for an explanation of these terms).

How Entrepreneurs Can Win During A Recession

1. One strategy does not fit all, especially for smaller firms.
2. Aim for transformational jumps in productivity—not just cutting costs.
3. Be strategic when discount shopping for assets.
4. Selectively increase R&D and marketing spend.

We’ve only had one depression in modern times: the Great Depression, the worst economic downturn in the history of the U.S. and the industrialized world. A “depression” label could be appropriate if the unemployment rate exceeds 20% for a long period of time.

Are We in a Recession? In a recent NBER statement, they claimed that yes, we are currently in a recession. This is due to the unprecedented magnitude in unemployment levels and production (depth) that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, paired with its broad reach across the entire economy (diffusion).

It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Over the next several years, consumer spending and investment dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and employment as failing companies laid off workers.

In May 2021, the average hourly earnings of all employees in the United States was at 11.29 U.S. dollars. The data have been seasonally adjusted….Real average hourly earnings for all employees in the United States from May 2020 to May 2021.