Looking into 2010...

Few people now talk about a second Great Depression... In fact, the recession is technically over. Just seven months ago, in May, some officials still feared the US banking system might end up largely nationalized if the stress tests and other policy actions did not restore market confidence. Fortunately, the plan worked, or at least something did. The financial system was battered, but it survived. Looking forward: gradual but unexciting recovery.