Can Google Predict The Next Recession?

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) search terms are usually analyzed by companies looking for personal—or at least demographic—information, but a team of researchers at the C.D. Howe Institute claim that search terms can be used to predict a recession faster than traditional financial data because it can be done in real time, unlike stats like the unemployment rate and GDP growth, which aren’t available until months after the fact, according to a Canadian Press report.

Google search terms predicting recession

Greg Tkacz looked at the prevalence of the search terms ‘recession’ and ‘jobs’ ahead of the 2008-2009...