• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceEconomy

The economy probably just plunged into a recession, according to a real-time data tracker used by a key Federal Reserve bank

Will Daniel
By
Will Daniel
Will Daniel
Down Arrow Button Icon
Will Daniel
By
Will Daniel
Will Daniel
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 1, 2022, 2:15 PM ET

There’s been no shortage of recession predictions so far this year, with everyone from JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to billionaire investor Carl Icahn warning of the potential for an imminent economic downturn.

But some experts have gone even further, claiming the U.S. is already in the midst of a recession; the only thing missing is the official declaration.

In May, Elon Musk said the U.S. was “probably” in a recession that could last up to 18 months, and argued it’ll be “tough going” for many. Then, just this Tuesday, ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood said she agrees with the Tesla CEO and world’s richest man, pointing to rising inventories at retailers as a sign of growing economic weakness.

Musk and Wood’s arguments are based on the widely accepted technical definition of a recession, which involves a period of two consecutive quarters of gross domestic product (GDP) contraction. 

And on Friday, they got some supporting evidence from nothing less than one of America’s central banks. Or at least its website.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow tracker now predicts that second-quarter GDP will contract by 1%. That’s quite the dip from the tracker’s early June prediction for an increase of 1.3% in the second quarter.

If the Atlanta Fed’s pessimistic outlook is correct, coupled with the 1.6% decline in GDP seen in the first quarter, it would mean two consecutive quarters of a shrinking economy, and therefore a recession.

Of course, what determines a recession is not quite as airtight as just two consecutive down quarters. The National Bureau of Economic Research, which is often seen as the official judge of business cycles, defines a recession as “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and that lasts more than a few months.”

Still, every recession since World War II has included a two-quarter consecutive decline in GDP, and that definition remains widely accepted on Wall Street.

George Saravelos, Deutsche Bank’s global co-head of FX Research, wrote in a Friday research note that multiple GDP trackers he monitors have moved into negative territory for the second quarter. That means “the U.S. economy may already meet the definition of a technical recession,” he said.

Saravelos argued that, for the stock market, this means weaker economic growth and recession fears are now the “dominant market drivers,” taking the place of inflation, which hit a four-decade high 8.6% annual rate in May.

The same day, another analyst, Guggenheim’s Matt Bush, also published a note saying the slowing economy likely signaled the onset of a recession.

Of course, not everyone is convinced that the newest GDP tracker data means we’ve hit a true recession.

“It’s increasingly likely that U.S. real GDP contracted for two consecutive quarters in the first half of 2022. But unless the U.S. starts to see outright job losses, this period looks more like a slump than an outright recession,” Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, told Fortune on Friday.

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
Will Daniel
By Will Daniel
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

texas
Real EstateHousing
Trump’s big housing market solution is dead on arrival, UBS says—its model is Texas from 25 years ago
By Nick LichtenbergApril 18, 2026
5 minutes ago
‘We should absolutely be concerned about non-college-educated men today’: higher rents, living at home, falling out of the labor market
EconomyLabor
‘We should absolutely be concerned about non-college-educated men today’: higher rents, living at home, falling out of the labor market
By Catherina GioinoApril 18, 2026
35 minutes ago
The ultra-wealthy have a new favorite status symbol: From a $14.5 million guitar to an $812,500 bottle of wine, rare collectibles are on a tear
Personal FinanceLuxury
The ultra-wealthy have a new favorite status symbol: From a $14.5 million guitar to an $812,500 bottle of wine, rare collectibles are on a tear
By Phil WahbaApril 18, 2026
1 hour ago
broker
EnergyMarkets
Oil is back to early war days, S&P 500 jumps to all-time high
By Stan Choe and The Associated PressApril 17, 2026
11 hours ago
Photo of Donald Trump (left) and Pete Hegseth (right)
Economynational debt
Something is different about Trump’s $1 trillion war on Iran and its stress on the national debt, Harvard Kennedy scholar says
By Sasha RogelbergApril 17, 2026
12 hours ago
Half of Iran’s workforce faces unemployment risk as the U.S.-Israel war’s ‘hidden target’ was the labor market, economist says
EconomyIran
Half of Iran’s workforce faces unemployment risk as the U.S.-Israel war’s ‘hidden target’ was the labor market, economist says
By Jason MaApril 17, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
Success
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
By Preston ForeApril 17, 2026
22 hours ago
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
Economy
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
By Nick LichtenbergApril 16, 2026
2 days ago
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeApril 15, 2026
3 days ago
Older millennials are starting to act like boomers in the housing market—and pulling away from the pack
Real Estate
Older millennials are starting to act like boomers in the housing market—and pulling away from the pack
By Nick LichtenbergApril 17, 2026
23 hours ago
Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz—but experts say it now holds a card that works ‘almost like a nuclear deterrent’
Energy
Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz—but experts say it now holds a card that works ‘almost like a nuclear deterrent’
By Eva RoytburgApril 17, 2026
15 hours ago
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
Success
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 16, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.