" Since the mid-1940s, the United States has experienced several boom and bust cycles. Why do we have a boom and bust cycle instead of a long, steady economic growth period? The answer can be found in the way central banks handle the money supply.
During a boom, a central bank makes it easier to obtain credit by lending money at low interest rates. Individuals and businesses can then borrow money easily and cheaply and invest it in, say, technology stocks or houses. Many people earn high returns on their investments, and the economy grows.
The problem is that when credit is too easy to obtain and interest rates are too low, people will overinvest. This excess investment is called “malinvestment.” There won’t be enough demand for, say, all the homes that have been built, and the bust cycle will set in. Things that have been overinvested in will decline in value. Investors lose money, consumers cut spending and companies cut jobs. Credit becomes more difficult to obtain as boom-time borrowers become unable to make their loan payments. The bust periods are referred to as recessions; if the recession is particularly severe, it is called a depression." ("Boom and Bust Cycle: Definition, How It Works, and History", Adam Hayes, Investopedia dot com, 5/19/2024)
What is the common denominator? IMO, greed. And not a few boneheaded government actions.
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