http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/26/news/economy/recession_threat/?postversion=2006122615NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The economy is stumbling at the end of 2006, setting off alarm bells that growth might not just slow next year but that the nation could tumble into a recession.
The recent trend of slower growth is not expected to be reversed any time soon. Home building and the broader real estate market are both already in a recession by most accounts and are expected to stay there well into next year. Manufacturing could soon follow, according to some recent readings.
While most economists are still expecting the economy to avoid a full-blown downturn next year, several say the odds of a recession have risen. Even the more optimistic analysts are looking for a slowdown in growth in gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of the economy, to between 2 and 3 percent next year, from 3 percent or better this year.