As the Fed raises interest rates and Russia squeezes gas supplies to Europe, it looks like the global economy is slowly but surely drifting into a recession. Will it happen by the end of 2022, and what does it mean for gold? 

Is a Recession Coming in 2022? 

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For months, financial experts have been warning us to prepare for a recession. 

While we still can’t say for sure, signs are flaring up that Europe and the U.S. might be headed for a recessionary period. 

We have already talked about the existing risks of a recession in 

. But quite a lot of things have happened since then.

 record inflation, war, energy crisis, slowing growth, market collapse, etc.) we thought it was time for a little update.

So, let’s see if those recent events are putting us on the path to recession. 

Are there any major signs of a possible recession today?

The short answer to this question would be, 

 If inflation remains high and salaries don't rise to match it (which is the case now), eventually inflation itself could lead to a recession.

a chart showing rising inflation levels in G7 countries including EU, US, Canada, and Japan between January 2018 and July 2022.

Just to remind you, inflation in the U.S. has just hit 9.1%, reaching a new 40-year high. In the Eurozone, the annual inflation rate reached 8.6% in June, exceeding the 8.1% mark from May. 

And, as you can see from the chart, inflation has been rising in other countries too.

united states federal reserve is on the path of more aggressive interest rate hikes which might push the economy into a recession as shown in the picture of a cartoon man raising interest rates

 many analysts say faster and bigger rate hikes could raise the odds of a recession.  Rising rates will make it more expensive to borrow money and therefore tend to reduce the amount of money circulating in the economy. In other words: rate hikes tend to slow growth and, in some cases, create recessions.

And right now, the Fed is on an aggressive path to halt a 40-year-high inflation. It has already hiked interest rates a few times this year and is bound to do it once again soon. 

The ECB, too, plans to increase rates later in July and probably again in September.

a man standing wrapped in a Ukrainian flag amid Russia’s ongoing military operation

 Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, heightening the risk of a food crisis in countries that depend on wheat exports from these two countries.

a Russia-EU pipeline symbolizing a raging energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine

 In addition to all this, Russia has temporarily shut down the Nord Stream gas pipeline, thus reducing Europe’s gas supplies. Now many officials are worried about a full gas shut-off from Moscow that could seriously harm Europe’s economy with winter slowly approaching.

As you can see, the outlook for the world economy is, to put it lightly, very hazy.

But could that potentially lead to a recession? Here’s what analysts are saying. 

Natural gas disruptions could trigger a recession in Europe

Further disruption in the natural gas supply to Europe could send many economies into recession, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva warned.

Russia’s war in Ukraine had significantly worsened the economic growth outlook 

and that the IMF was prepared to lower its forecast for 2022 and 2023.

“The outlook remains extremely uncertain. Think of how further disruption in the natural gas supply to Europe could 

plunge many economies into recession and trigger a global energy crisis

. This is just one of the factors that could worsen an already difficult situation.”

And it seems that, out of all EU countries, 

 is facing the biggest risk of recession.

“It seems reasonable to assume that Russia will continue to look for ways to disrupt economic activity in Europe in retaliation for Western sanctions and financial and military support for Ukraine… the impact on industrial output and economic uncertainty 

will almost certainly push the German economy into recession in the second half of 2022

A graph showing a probability of a recession in the Eurozone and Germany, where a recession risk is much higher mostly due to the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

As you can see, before the conflict in Ukraine, there was a 20% chance that both Germany and the Eurozone would experience a recession. Today, Germany has a 55% probability of a recession, compared to 43% in the Euro area.

Former IMF chief economist: There’s a high risk of re-running the 1980s

former IMF chief economist Maurice Obstfeld photographed during a press conference

According to former IMF chief economist Maurice Obstfeld, there is a real risk that central banks will push rates too high while trying to fight inflation.

"You've got a real cocktail of global monetary contraction that could go a bit too far because each central bank is 

looking only at its own domestic situation

 and not thinking about the global effects,"

In other words, along with many economists, Obstfeld fears that central banks run the risk of hastening the path of the world economy into a deep recession by not coordinating their rate hikes.

"We saw something like that in the early 1980s when 

 … We got a very deep global recession which spilled over to emerging markets in the form of the debt crisis of the 1980s and I think there is a risk of something similar now."

He thinks that central banks are scrambling to catch up because they have been delaying raising interest rates for too long.

“They have egg on their face from having been behind the curve, and there is a little bit of a sense of panic in the air,” Obstfeld says

As usual, this most likely means that investors should diversify their portfolios with safer and more stable assets to balance out their riskier investments. 

Melissa Bouchillon, Sound View Wealth Advisors' managing partner and CFP, says it’s better to be prepared than sorry: 

"Whether it's COVID-19, the Great Recession, or what we're experiencing right now, you never know what the next major crash will be. 

You must always have a portfolio element ready for when things go south

To prepare for a recession, there are some handy tips you can follow, but we won’t reveal them just yet, we’re keeping that for an upcoming spotlight.😉

Right now, we will take a look at the most common way to preserve your wealth during a recession: 

And that’s where gold and precious metals might come in handy.

It’s true that gold has been facing some pressure lately.  

Last week, the gold price dropped back toward an 11-month low as investors turned to the U.S. dollar amid expectations for more aggressive rate hikes by the United States Federal Reserve. 

a gold nugget sitting on top of a dollar bill symbolizing paper money losing its value

Well, mostly because, the strong dollar seems to be currently weighing on the gold price, as are rising interest rate expectations.

So does it mean that the gold price will continue to fall? 

As mentioned above, more aggressive rate hikes by central banks

 are boosting the chances of the economy entering a recession.

And there’s a general agreement, however, that during a recession, riskier assets like stocks and high-yield bonds tend to go down, while gold and U.S. Treasuries usually increase.

For example, the Great Recession of 2008 boosted the price of gold, even though it dropped in the aftermath of the Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy.

As Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA, explains:

“A break [in the gold price] below $1,700 is still very likely, with the next support level at $1,680 an ounce. [But] once the peak is in place and we see signs of inflation pressures retreating,

Will gold necessarily act this way if another global recession unfolds? We don’t know for sure.

One thing is certain, though: diversifying your investments and 

taking sensible precautions to manage risk 

can help you protect your wealth and personal finance.

Gold offers several powerful advantages as a store of value. Discover why more and more investors are turning to this precious metal.

What are the advantages of gold compared to other investments?

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Good thing central banks can't print gold. 😉

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