Web Activity 1

Draw two recent business cycles, from peak to trough, using data at  http://www.nber.org/cycles.html. Label two peaks and troughs, and identify the number of months between them. Find the unemployment rate at each trough at  ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat1.txt. Which recession was worse? Why? Are we currently in a recession? How can you tell?

Web Activity 2

Log into www.census.gov and click on the latest economic indicators button. Choose three economic indicators to examine (different indicators than described in question 1). Explain what the trends in these indicators suggest about the current U.S. business cycle.

Web Activity 3

Using the data from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development at www.oecd.org/std/cli (click the Country Turning link) find out which country has experienced the longest recession and which has enjoyed the greatest growth. Using your knowledge of current events, was the first country's recession caused by reductions in aggregate supply, demand, or both? Was the second country's growth caused by increases in aggregate supply, demand, or both?