The longest US economic expansion – but also the weakest
Story in a chart: the current US expansion is the longest on record. But when set against previous recoveries, its slow pace appears linked to its longevity.

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"The United States is in the midst of an economic boom, the likes of which the world has never seen before." This was among the claims made by President Trump during his speech to the World Economic Forum on 21 January at Davos, Switzerland.
The current period of economic expansion is certainly long by comparison with earlier periods of growth. The graph below shows the behaviour of the US economy going into and coming out of recessions since 1954.
US economic recoveries since 1954 (pre-recession peak = 100)

Source: Refinitiv Datastream, Cazenove Capital
On average, recessions in this period caused US output to shrink by 3%. On average, it took less than a year from the economy’s low point to fully recover.
The downturn that followed the Great Financial Crisis of 2009 was different. It was far more severe, both in terms of depth and duration. US output contracted by 4% between 2007 and 2009. It took almost 2 years to get back to the previous peak in GDP.
The expansion that started in 2009 has also been unusual. Previous expansions had an average life of six years; the current one has lasted for 11 years – and counting.
A possible explanation for this is the fact that growth in the current phase of the cycle has been so slow. The US economy has grown at an annualised rate of just 2.0% from its low point in 2009 – compared to an average of 3.5% in the wake of previous recessions.
Janet Mui, Cazenove Capital’s global economist, says: “The current expansion is already the longest on record and we do not expect it to end this year. Expansions typically come to an end when an economy overheats and the Federal Reserve is forced to cool activity down. The slow pace of growth we are currently seeing makes this intervention unlikely.”
This article is issued by Cazenove Capital which is part of the Schroders Group and a trading name of Schroder & Co. Limited, 1 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Nothing in this document should be deemed to constitute the provision of financial, investment or other professional advice in any way. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of an investment and the income from it may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount originally invested.
This document may include forward-looking statements that are based upon our current opinions, expectations and projections. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.
All data contained within this document is sourced from Cazenove Capital unless otherwise stated.
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