Three Ways to Brace for a Double-Dip Recession: Going Global

The last time the U.S. economy suffered through a double-dip recession , this country was struggling to overcome the fallout from an Arab oil embargo, Vietnam War-era deficits, and an inflationary spiral that just wouldn't let go. That 1981-82 double-dip downturn - the result of an economic " shock treatment " aimed at curing those ills - consisted of two recessions that were separated by a single quarter of growth. The current backdrop is very different from the one that was in place back then, but the threat of a double-dip recession is no less real. The world's No. 1 economy lost 8.4 million jobs during the recession that got its start in December 2007, making it the worst national downturn since the Great Depression and the biggest loss of employment since the end of World War II.