In macroeconomics, a recession is generally associated with a decline in a country's real gross domestic product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year. However, this rule doesn't always hold true. The National Bureau of Economic Research's (NBER) Business Cycle Dating Committee ultimately decides whether the economy has fallen into a recession. The NBER doesn't use any specific methodology for determining the start and end dates of a recession -… (More on Recession)