As in the Great Depression.
Unemployment
Unemployment
- Peak unemployment during the Great Depression reached a staggering 24.9% in 1933, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard told Bloomberg that the U.S. unemployment rate could hit 30% next quarter.
- In 1930, U.S. gross domestic product—the value of all the goods and services the country produces— shrank by 8.5% as the economy contracted; it lost another 6.4% in 1931, and yet another 12.9% in 1932.
- Next quarter, Bullard predicts a 50% drop in GDP as a result of the outbreak.
- Yesterday, Morgan Stanley said it is predicting a 30.1% decline in GDP next quarter—that would be the worst quarterly performance in 74 years, according to Politico.
- During the depths of the Great Depression, in 1931, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost a little over 30% over the course of one month, according to data from Morningstar Direct.
- According to Bespoke Investment Group, the S&P’s 34% decline over the last month is the steepest market drop in that period of time since 1931.