Signs of a Recession?
by Vera H-C ChanDec 19, 2007
Retirement can make one a little garrulous. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan went on the talk show rounds recently, but instead of spreading holiday cheer, he Grinched about a recession.
Not everyone believes in his economic prognostications or his motives, but people listen—or at least, they search: His own buzz rose 94% in the past 7 days. In the meantime, headlines directly attributed the stock tumble to his loose lips.
He probably wasn't saying anything that people weren't feeling already, according to a new poll. Still, Greenspan might've helped double the queries for "recession" in the past week. Searchers also wanted to check if the holiday blahs were a more serious affliction, by looking for a more precise "definition of recession."
Are people hugging their pocketbooks a little tighter as a result? Here is a highly unscientific check-up on the money buzz in the past week, with nary an economic theory as an explanation.
Searches | Ups | Downs |
| Debt | Debt Cures (+11%) | Debt Management (-76%) |
| Stocks | Berkshire Hathaway (+240%) | Penny (-7%) |
| Interest | Interest Only Mortgage Calculator (+75) | Fed Interest Rate (-79%) |
| Foreclosure | Home Foreclosure Bargains (+infinity) | Home Foreclosures (-70%) |
| Money | Easy Money (+55%) | Make Easy Money Online (-69%) |
| Price | Consumer Price Index (+15%) | Cheap Gas Price Finder (-80%) |
| Savings | 529 College Savings Plan (+107%) | Savings Calculator (-11%) |
| Bonds | Savings Bonds (+8%) | US Treasury Bonds (-4%) |
| Job-related | Sample Resignation Letters (+177%) | Sample Interview Questions (-24%) |