The Covid-19 recession ended in April 2020, the National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday. That makes the two-month downturn the shortest in U.S. history. The NBER is recognized as the official arbiter of when recessions end and begin.

What is the NBER recession?

A: The NBER's traditional definition of a recession is that it is a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and that lasts more than a few months. ... An expansion is a period when the economy is not in a recession. Expansion is the normal state of the economy; most recessions are brief.

How does NBER determine a recession?

The NBER's definition emphasizes that a recession involves a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.