Ten Signs The Double-Dip Recession Has Begun - 24/7 Wall St.

In a technical sense, the U.S. economy left "recession" status and started growing again about July 2009. But the growth has been anemic. And consumers seem to think we never left the great recession of 2008 and 2009, and is again headed downward.

In other words, consumers think the second recession, or dreaded "double dip," already has begun. Economists say that the "Great Recession" began in December 2007 and lasted until July 2009. That may be the way that the economy was seen through the eyes of experts, but many Americans do not believe that the 2008 to 2009 downturn ever ended.

A Gallup poll released in April found that 29 percent of those queried thought the economy was in a “depression” and 26 percent said that the original recession had persisted into 2011.

This is a big problem since "expectations" drive behavior. Worse, there in all likelihood is no long-term hope of fixing the national deficit without a return to robust growth.

Ten Signs The Double-Dip Recession Has Begun - 24/7 Wall St.