To be or not to be in a recession? That is the question. Investors continue to debate whether the widely accepted technical definition of “recession” applies in our current economic environment. It has been generally accepted that a recession is signaled when U.S. gross domestic product declines in two consecutive quarters. U.S. GDP dropped by an unexpected 0.9% annualized rate in the second quarter, following a 1.6% decrease in quarter one.   It is important to note these annual numbers take into account last year’s significant post-COVID 19 growth spike. So, these annualized figures have abnormal factors baked into them,