Flashcards on Business Cycles: Phases, Indicators, and Causes

Business Cycles: Phases, Indicators, and Causes Explained

1 / 48

What is a business cycle?

Consecutive periods of increasing and decreasing economic activity.

Tap to flip · Swipe to navigate

Business Cycle

48 cards

Card 1

Question: What is a business cycle?

Answer: Consecutive periods of increasing and decreasing economic activity.

Card 2

Question: What is time series data in the context of business cycles?

Answer: Data collected over a period of time to investigate time-related trends (e.g., GDP) used to construct business cycles.

Card 3

Question: Which phases make up the expansionary period?

Answer: Recovery and prosperity (Expansion = Recovery + Prosperity).

Card 4

Question: Which phases make up the contractionary period?

Answer: Recession and depression (Contraction = Recession + Depression).

Card 5

Question: Define expansion in a business cycle.

Answer: An upward sustained growth in economic activities from trough to peak that leads to increases in real GDP.

Card 6

Question: What is the peak in a business cycle?

Answer: The highest turning point where economic activity and real GDP are at their maximum before a downturn; near full employment and high demand causing in

Card 7

Question: Define contraction in a business cycle.

Answer: A downswing in economic activities from peak to trough showing rapid decreases in production, employment, and GDP.

Card 8

Question: What is the trough in a business cycle?

Answer: The lowest turning point where economic activity and real GDP are at their minimum before recovery; characterized by high unemployment and low demand

Card 9

Question: What does the trend line on a business cycle graph show?

Answer: The general direction of an economy over time; a positively sloped trend line indicates long-run economic growth.

Card 10

Question: How is the length of a business cycle measured and what does it indicate?

Answer: Measured from peak to peak or trough to trough; longer cycles indicate sustained economic stability, shorter cycles suggest instability or frequent fl