Consumers, businesses and investors are increasingly jittery about the risks of a protracted slump. So what exactly is a recession?

So is Trump about to trigger a recession in the world's largest economy? In the US, a recession is defined as a prolonged and widespread decline in economic activity typically characterised by a jump in unemployment and fall in incomes.

Questions about the state of the economy intensified this week as the U.S. stock market fell on Monday yet again—just one day after President Donald Trump declined to dismiss the idea that a recession could happen.