Depression

A depression is a severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity. In economics, a depression is commonly defined as an extreme recession that lasts two or more years. A depression is characterized by economic factors such as substantial increases in unemployment, a drop in available credit, diminishing output, bankruptcies and sovereign debt defaults, reduced trade and commerce, and sustained volatility in currency values. In times of depression, consumer confidence and investments decrease, causing the economy to shut down.

A depression is a sustained and severe recession. Whereas a recession is a normal part of the business cycle, lasting for a period of months, a depression is an extreme fall in economic activity lasting for a number of years. Economists disagree on the duration of depressions; some economists believe a depression encompasses only the period plagued by declining economic activity. Other economists, however, argue that the depression continues up until the point that most economic activity has returned to normal.

The Great Depression began shortly after the Oct. 24, 1929, U.S. stock market crash known as Black Thursday. The stock market bubble had burst and a huge sell-off began, with a record 12.9 million shares traded. The United States was already in a recession, and the following Tuesday, on Oct. 29, 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 12% in another mass sell-off, triggering the start of the Great Depression.

Many investors' portfolios became completely worthless. Although the Great Depression began in the United States, the economic impact was felt worldwide for more than a decade. The Great Depression was characterized by a drop in consumer spending and investment, and by catastrophic unemployment, poverty, hunger and political unrest. In the U.S., unemployment climbed to nearly 25% in 1933, remaining in the double-digits until 1941, when it finally receded to 9.66%.

Shortly after Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President in 1932, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created to protect depositors' accounts. In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was formed to regulate the U.S. stock markets.

A depression can be triggered by a series of factors that drive the economy to continue to contract severely and reduce production to extremely low levels. With the Great Depression that struck the U.S., some of the contributing issues included policies that, after the stock market crash, led to deflation that, in turn, kept the dollar down and made some consumers refrain from spending because they believed even lower prices would be coming.