NRF Says Economy is Strong Enough to ‘Keep a Recession at Bay’ Despite Two Quarters of Decline

Despite two consecutive quarters of decline, the U.S. economy still does not appear to be in a recession and remains unlikely to enter one this year, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said today.

“Back-to-back contractions have heightened fear of a recession, but while the economy has lost momentum heading into the second half of the year, economic data is not yet consistent with a typical recession,” Kleinhenz said. “Our view is that while the economy is functioning at a..."

The Current State of the Economy - Optimism or Recession?

For the past couple of months, the nation has been tuning in once a month at 8:30 am EST for the reading of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) report. Each month, numbers have indicated levels of inflation not seen in decades. Headlines have grabbed the attention of everyone, causing concern and fear for potential recession. But how concerned should market participants be with the current state of the economy...

Conagra Expects More Consumers to Eat At Home If Recession Hits

Conagra Brands Inc. expects consumers to eat more meals at home if the U.S. economy heads into a downturn, its CEO said, as the food company reported higher sales in its latest quarter.

Sean Connolly, Conagra's chief executive, said it isn't yet clear whether the economy is dropping into a recession, though he said supermarkets and packaged food companies have tended to capture more consumer spending during past periods of economic weakness.

"One of the things that you see happen first when recessions hit is consumers cut back on..."

NRF Says Economy is Slowing But Recession is Unlikely in Near Term

The U.S. economy’s rate of growth is slowing, but consumers remain financially healthy and the nation is unlikely to enter into a recession during the remainder of 2022, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said today.

“I am not betting on an official recession in the near term, but the most recent research pegs the risk over the next year as about one in three and it will be touch and go in 2023,” Kleinhenz said. “In the meantime, a contracting economy short of..."