RECESSION: The common term used for the contraction phase of the business cycle. A general period of declining economic activity. During a recession, real gross domestic product declines by 10 percent or so and the unemployment rate rises from it's full employment 5 percent level up to the 6 to 10 percent range. Inflation tends to be low or non-existent during a recession. Recession last anywhere from six to eighteen months, with one year being common. See also | business cycle | contraction | real gross domestic product | unemployment rate | inflation | full employment | expansion | peak | trough | recovery | depression | recessionary gap |
