Bank of America has forecasted that the U.S. economy will slide into a recession this year. “A number of forces have coincided to slow economic momentum more rapidly than we previously expected,” the bank’s economists said.
Bank of America’s economists now expect a recession in the U.S. this year. In a report published Wednesday, they explained: “Our previous baseline outlook for the U.S. economy featured a growth recession. But a number of forces have coincided to slow economic momentum more rapidly than we previously expected.” The analysts added:
We now forecast a mild recession in the U.S. economy this year.
They considered factors such as inflation from food and energy prices, tighter financial conditions, and higher mortgage rates. Bank of America estimated in June that there was a 40% chance of a U.S. recession next year.
The economists now expect the fourth-quarter U.S. gross domestic product to decline 1.4% from a year earlier, before increasing 1% in 2023.
The Bank of America analysts noted:
Our forecast puts inflation broadly in line with the Fed’s 2% mandate by the end of 2024.
They believe that the hottest inflation in four decades will force the Federal Reserve to take extreme actions to tame prices. The Fed raised interest rates by 75 basis points last month, which was the single-biggest move since 1994. Several Fed officials have signaled that another increase of the same magnitude is on the table for July.
What do you think about the forecasts by Bank of America’s economists? Let us know in the comments section below.
