[justforFranz]

My pet theory is that there's a recession in the first term of any new president. Although, you'd have to give an allowance for Bush Sr. sharing one with the first term of Bill Clinton.

If a president could time a recession, it would make sense to ensure that it was over before the next election.

For a certain class of people, recessions aren't a problem, but a tool which allows you to write off your more speculative investments.