2019-03-01 Money

18 MONEY.COM MARCH^2019

started—its first annual decline

since 2008.

Many economists and investors

remain worried, saying economic

and market data suggest the

economy could run out of steam

sometime in the next two years.

One of the biggest question

marks: Does extra growth tied to

the landmark 2017 tax cut prove

sustainable—or does it turn out to

be merely an economic sugar high?

No one may have more riding on

this outcome than President Trump,

who has long staked his political

career on his ability to steward the

economy. Of the 10 presidential

incumbents who have sought

reelection since the end of World

War II, the only three to lose—Ger-

ald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George

H.W. Bush—all went down to defeat

amid periods of sluggish economic

growth, according to the Brookings

Institution.

Here are all the people sounding

the alarm about 2020:

RAY DALIO

One of America’s wealthiest hedge

fund managers, Dalio said earlier

this year that “the probability of a

recession prior to the next presi-

dential election would be relatively

high, [at] 70%.” He later warned

that his so-called depression gauge,

which accurately predicted the

2008 financial crisis, is showing

warning signs. Dalio worries the

dollar could plunge as the govern-

ment prints money to offset a

ballooning budget deficit. The

problem, he said, would inevitably

be exacerbated by rising interest

rates and mounting costs from

pensions and health care.

BEN BERNANKE

Last year, former Fed chair Ber-

nanke likened the U.S. economy to

an episode of Looney Tunes,

explaining it could soon face what’s

been called a “Wile E. Coyote

moment,” as benefits from recent

government stimulus—like the 2017

tax cuts—start to fade. “In 2020,

Wile E. Coyote is going to go off the

cliff,” Bernanke said.

JPMORGAN

The financial services firm’s real-

time recession forecast model sug-

gests the risk of one is significantly

higher than it was a year ago. It

now places the chance of a market

downturn at 70% by 2020. Strate-

gists have tied the partially inverted

yield curve—which they expect to

fully invert midway through 2019—

as another reason to worry.

Source: Newzoo; accessed on Statista
T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc.

Source: Statista

Projected esports worldwide audience size in 2019

MILLION

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES

Projected global increase in online

food delivery users by 2021

ESPORTS

425

+

+

35%

Which companies

harness big data to

deliver food faster?

How are companies

monetizing this

growing sport?