The U.S. economy continues to roll along, stubbornly defying the predictions of many economists that a recession has to be around the corner after a decade of economic expansion, the longest such stretch in American history.
However, as much as one would like to believe that the American economy has bucked the cycle of boom and bust that has defined every market economy since the dawn of time, that’s probably not the case. In spite of a booming stock market and rock-bottom unemployment, history would dictate that the good times will be coming to an end — probably sooner rather than later.
But what might key you into when hard times are on the horizon? How can you spot a recession coming so that you can tighten your belt a little in advance? Certain economic behaviors — such as slow job growth and increasing debt levels — can point to the possibility of a looming recession.
