From the first quarter of 2008 through the second period of 2009, consumer demand fell for six consecutive quarters at a 2.2% annual rate. Not surprisingly, the contraction was most acute during the depths of the Great Crisis, when consumption plunged at a 4.5% rate in the third and fourth quarters of 2008.
这段前所未有的美国消费疲软期可以分为两个阶段。从2008年第1季度到2009年第2季度，消费者需求连续6个季度下降，年降幅为2.2%。毫不奇怪，这波下降在大危机顶峰时最为惨烈，2008年第3和第4季度，消费支出下降了4.5%。