Deutsche Bank Analysts Forecast US Recession in 2023-2024 Amid Fed's Decisions

The American economy might face a recession by the end of the next year because of the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates, Deutsche Bank economists have forecast in their 'Over the Brink' report. The economists expect the Fed to raise the rates by 0.5 percent for the next three meetings and eventually take it from the present range between 0.25 percent and 0.5 percent to 3.5 percent by the middle of 2023.

The bank's analysts also forecast that the Federal Reserve's balance sheet will lose around $2 trillion by 2024 out of a total of $8.9 trillion. This will have the effect of another interest rate rise equivalent to 1 percent, they added.

The Fed's policy will result not only in a contraction of the American economy, but also in an increase to unemployment from the present 3.6 percent to almost 5 percent in 2024, the economists projected. The report further forecasts a "transitory decline of the order of 20 percent" for the American stock market by the middle of 2023.

The economists admitted that their forecast is more dire than most other economic predictions, and noted that the economic decline is "far from inevitable", but expressed confidence that other analysts will correct their predictions as well.

The grim forecast comes after the Federal Reserve decided to tighten its fiscal policy after years of maintaining the interest at near zero. In February, it raised the rate to the 0.25 percent to 0.5 percent range and expressed readiness to do it again if it's needed to combat rampant inflation in the country. The US registered inflation of 7.9 percent in February 2022 – a 40-year high with fuel prices remaining among the leaders of price growth.

The latest polls suggest that US President Joe Biden's low ratings can partly be attributed to his failure to tackle the record inflation in the country.