By Nicole Goodkind, CNN Business If you’re reading this it means you’ve made it through the worst first half of a year for US stocks in more than 50 years. Congratulations. Welcome to the second half, where any hope of relaxation has been dashed by nonstop talk of the US economy possibly slipping into recession. In America, a recession is officially determined by eight economists who deliberate in private. But a recession is commonly defined by analysts as two consecutive negative quarters of gross domestic product growth.