ECONOMYNOVEMBER 10, 2011, 2:56 P.M. ET
Economists See Smaller Chance of U.S. Recession
By PHIL IZZO
The odds of recession have fallen in the U.S., according to economists in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey, but a middling expansion could be derailed by events taking shape in Europe.
The 52 economists surveyed in November—not all of whom answer every question—put 1-in-4 odds that the U.S. will experience a recession in the next 12 months, down from a 1-in-3 chance they were seeing just two months ago, when concerns were at their highest level since the recent recession ended in June 2009.
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The economy has shown resilience since the summer, with numbers on consumer spending, manufacturing and jobs indicating steady, if not robust, expansion. Economists expect the U.S. to grow below 3% a year through 2014—broadly in line with recent forecasts. That is enough to start bringing down the unemployment rate, albeit at a slow pace. On average the economists see the jobless rate still above 7% in 2014.
The Labor Department reported numbers on Thursday that indicated measured improvement in the jobs market continues. The number of people filing initial claims for unemployment benefits dropped by 10,000 in the latest week to 390,000, the lowest level in seven months.
But the European economies are moving in the opposite direction. The economists, on average, put 2-in-3 odds that the euro zone will fall into recession. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi last week conceded that the euro area is likely to experience a "mild" recession toward the end of the year, and the European Commission said Thursday it couldn't exclude the possibility of a "deep, prolonged" downturn.
About the Survey
The Wall Street Journal surveys a group of 54 economists throughout the year. Broad surveys on more than 10 major economic indicators are conducted every month. Once a year, economists are ranked on how well their forecasts have fared. For prior installments of the surveys, see: WSJ.com/Economist.
"While the likelihood of a recession [in the U.S.] has eased of late, the economy is still operating at only a modest pace and remains vulnerable to shocks," said Julia Coronado at BNP Paribas. She points to a request for aid by Italy as a potential event that could have a large impact on global financial markets and spread throughout the world.
Paul Ballew of Nationwide said "Italian default or debt restructuring would be Lehman on steroids," referring to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 that set off a global financial crisis. A recession in Europe, which Mr. Ballew said is probably already under way, likely wouldn't be enough to push the U.S. over the edge. But a major credit event would spread beyond Europe's borders to the global banking system and leave no one unscathed.
But an event in Italy isn't the only potential shock from Europe. On average, the economists put nearly 50/50 odds on at least one nation leaving the euro zone in the next two years. Some economists said that any break up of the euro zone would be enough of a shock to roil global financial markets.
Meanwhile, the situation in Greece remains in flux as markets wait to see whether a plan to send aid and restructure the country's debt can be implemented smoothly. The economists were split on whether Greece should leave the euro zone, with just 16 of 44 respondents saying the country would be better off outside the monetary union, while 23 of 43 economists said the common currency area would be better off if the Mediterranean nation left.
Meanwhile, 71% of the economists said the European Central Bank under Mr. Draghi would be quicker to respond to change in growth and inflation than it was during the tenure of his predecessor Jean Claude Trichet. Some two-thirds of respondents said the central bank had done too little to support the European economy during the past six months.