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Talk of a downturn could make it a reality

President Trump’s trade war with China and the gloom hanging over the global economy have many people thinking about the threat of recession in America. But some worry that there’s a danger of simply talking the U.S. into a downturn.

The U.S. economy is sending mixed messages about its health:

• G.D.P. “rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.0 percent in the second quarter, a solid pace but down from a 3.1 percent rate in the first quarter and 2.9 percent overall in 2018,” the WSJ reports.

• The Economist says that some parts of the U.S. may already be in recession.

• But American corporate profits rose in the second quarter as companies reduced investment, the WSJ notes, and “U.S. households boosted spending at a 4 percent annual rate in the second quarter, the strongest pace since late 2014.”