HOW LONG WILL THE RECESSION LAST?….I don’t know. But I was noodling about this and thinking that since the housing bubble is at the core of all our problems, it’s unlikely the economy will turn up before the housing market hits bottom. So when will that be?
Based on historical price-to-income ratios, Calculated Risk suggested a few days ago that it would bottom out by Q3 of next year, or maybe a little later. But extending CR’s chart and assuming the market bottoms gradually, rather than sharply, it looks to me like we might have to wait until the middle of 2010.
Like I said, this is just noodling. The housing market might bottom sooner than I think, and the economy might start to recover even while the housing market still has a little more slumping to do. But probably not much before. I don’t think I’d be surprised if we’re still in recession this time next year.
