Roubini Denies He Said "Recession Will Be Over This Year," Despite Bullish Media Reports Otherwise

[girl gone mad]

It appears as if Roubini was taken out of context by the green shoots crowd, yet again.

Roubini Denies He Said "Recession Will Be Over This Year," Despite Bullish Media Reports Otherwise
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2009/07/roubini-denies-he-said-recession-will.html">Naked Capitalism

The Dow traded up over 1% today, and if you believe the interpretation (assigning motives to market moves is always a fraught business) the cause was Nouriel Roubini, this era's Dr. Doom, saying the recession was over.

Roubini issued a statement that took issue with how the media (certainly Bloomberg) trumpeted his remarks. If you harbored any doubts that the news is being spun to stress the positive, this should put them to rest.

The key statement: "I am not forecasting economic growth before year’s end."

Via e-mail (since there is no online source, am providing the full text):

The following is a statement from Dr. Nouriel Roubini, Chairman of RGE Monitor and Professor, New York University, Stern School of Business:

“It has been widely reported today that I have stated that the recession will be over “this year” and that I have “improved” my economic outlook. Despite those reports - however – my views expressed today are http://www.rgemonitor.com/roubini-monitor/257264/roubini_on_a_bloomberg_panel_recession_will_last_another_six_months_and_the_recovery_will_be_shallow">no different than the views I have expressed previously. If anything my views were taken out of context.

“I have said on numerous occasions that the recession would last roughly 24 months. Therefore, we are 19 months into that recession. If as I predicted the recession is over by year end, it will have lasted 24 months with a recovery only beginning in 2010. http://www.rgemonitor.com/roubini-monitor/257210/us_job_report_suggests_that_green_shoots_are_mostly_yellow_weeds">Simply put I am not forecasting economic growth before year’s end.

“Indeed, last year I argued that this will be a long and deep and protracted U-shaped recession that would last 24 months. Meanwhile, the consensus argued that this would be a short and shallow V-shaped 8 months long recession (like those in 1990-91 and 2001). That debate is over today as we are in the 19th month of a severe recession; so the V is out of the window and we are in a deep U-shaped recession. If that recession were to be over by year end – as I have consistently predicted – it would have lasted 24 months and thus been three times longer than the previous two and five times deeper – in terms of cumulative GDP contraction – than the previous two. So, there is nothing new in my remarks today about the recession being over at the end of this year.

“I have also consistently argued – including in my remarks today - that while the consensus predicts that the US economy will go back close to potential growth by next year, I see instead a shallow, below-par and below-trend recovery where growth will average about 1% in the next couple of years when potential is probably closer to 2.75%.

“I have also consistently argued that there is a risk of a double-dip W-shaped recession toward the end of 2010, as a tough policy dilemma will emerge next year: on one side, early exit from monetary and fiscal easing would tip the economy into a new recession as the recovery is anemic and deflationary pressures are dominant. On the other side, maintaining large budget deficits and continued monetization of such deficits would eventually increase long term interest rates (because of concerns about medium term fiscal sustainability and because of an increase in expected inflation) and thus would lead to a crowding out of private demand.

“While the recession will be over by the end of the year the recovery will be weak given the debt overhang in the household sector, the financial system and the corporate sector; and now there is also a massive re-leveraging of the public sector with unsustainable fiscal deficits and public debt accumulation.

“Also, as I fleshed out in detail in recent remarks the labor market is still very weak: I predict a peak unemployment rate of close to 11% in 2010. Such large unemployment rate will have negative effects on labor income and consumption growth; will postpone the bottoming out of the housing sector; will lead to larger defaults and losses on bank loans (residential and commercial mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, leveraged loans); will increase the size of the budget deficit (even before any additional stimulus is implemented); and will increase protectionist pressures.

“So, yes there is light at the end of the tunnel for the US and the global economy; but as I have consistently argued the recession will continue through the end of the year, and the recovery will be weak and at risk of a double dip, as the challenge of getting right the timing and size of the exit strategy for monetary and fiscal policy easing will be daunting.

[chill_wind]

1. K & R.

[truedelphi]

2. The press says whatever they want

Even involving scientific studies.

From back in 1999 - MTBE panel realizes in another year or so, it will be able to prove that MTBE is carcinogenic.

What do headlines say - "Blue ribbon panel says MTBE is not carcinogenic and is safe."

Article went on to make up quotes and attribute them to lead scientist.

The news is run by Big Oil and Big banking - and those two powers don't care about truth.

Their only concern is influence.