Using Machine Learning Classification Techniques to Predict Recessionary Periods in the U.S. Economy

The goal of this research project is to determine how beneficial machine learning (ML) techniquescan be in predicting recessions. Past work has utilized a multitude of classification methods from Probit models to linear Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and obtained accuracies nearing 60-70%, where some models even predicted the Great Recession based off data from the previous 50 years. This paper will build on past work, by starting with less complex classification techniques that are more broadly used in recession forecasting and end by incorporating more complex ML models that produce higher accuracies than their more primitive counterparts. Many models were tested in this analysis and the findings here corroborate past work that the SVM methodology produces more accurate results than currently used probit models, but adds on that other ML models produced sufficient accuracy as well.