This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. - Leading indicators, like building permits and the S&P 500, predict future economic trends. - Lagging indicators, such as the CPI and the overall unemployment rate, confirm trends that have already occurred. - During economic contractions, recommend defensive stocks (utilities, consumer staples) and high-quality bonds. - Rising inflation and interest rates typically cause the value of existing fixed-income securities to fall. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep