Roubini: Views on Economy Unchanged Despite Reports

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Roubini: Views on Economy Unchanged Despite Reports

Published: Thursday, 16 Jul 2009 | 5:51 PM ET
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By: CNBC.com

Nouriel Roubini, the economist whose dire forecasts earned him the nickname "Doctor Doom," said after markets closed Thursday that earlier reports claiming he sees an end to the recession this year were "taken out of context."

Nouriel Roubini
cnbc.com
"It has been widely reported today that I have stated that the recession will be over 'this year' and that I have 'improved' my economic outlook," Roubini said in a prepared statement. "Despite those reports ... my views expressed today are no different than the views I have expressed previously. If anything my views were taken out of context."

Several business news outlets, picking up on a report initially from Reuters, earlier Thursday cited Roubini as saying that the worst of the economic financial crisis may be over.

The New York University professor was quoted by Reuters as saying that the economy would emerge from the recession toward the end of 2009.

Reports of his comments helped trigger a late rally in the stock market.

Roubini added late Thursday that he sees no economic growth before the end of 2009.

"I have said on numerous occasions that the recession would last roughly 24 months. Therefore, we are 19 months into that recession. If as I predicted the recession is over by year end, it will have lasted 24 months with a recovery only beginning in 2010. Simply put I am not forecasting economic growth before year's end."

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Roubini predicts a shallow recovery with average growth will average about 1 percent over the next few years. He also sees the possibility, he reiterated, of a "double-dip" recession toward the end of next year.

"On one side, early exit from monetary and fiscal easing would tip the economy into a new recession as the recovery is anemic and deflationary pressures are dominant," Roubini said. "On the other side, maintaining large budget deficits and continued monetization of such deficits would eventually increase long term interest rates ... and thus would lead to a crowding out of private demand.

"While the recession will be over by the end of the year the recovery will be weak given the debt overhang in the household sector, the financial system and the corporate sector; and now there is also a massive re-leveraging of the public sector with unsustainable fiscal deficits and public debt accumulation."
© 2009 CNBC.com