Although the stock market surged almost 900 points today, we’re likely to continue seeing economic stagnation for quite some time.  But, that doesn’t mean business stops.  GE, Disney, HP, Apple and Microsoft were all startups during steep declines in the U.S. economy. GE started during the panic of 1873, Disney started during the recession of 1923-24, HP began during the Great Depression, and Microsoft and Apple were founded in the mid 1970’s, a time of stagflation (inflation over 14%) and an unemployment rate over 9 percent. In 1982, the U.S. was in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression [source]. Sun Microsystems, Compaq Computer, Adobe Systems, Silicon Graphics, and Lotus Development started that year, and prospered.

Who would have thought that Google would emerge from the rubble of the dot com bust, and a terrorist attack on America?

Even if consumer spending, a major factor of our economic state, declines 3% per year for three years, which some economists forecast, over 90 percent of consumer spending will continue.  Cheers to the best surviving and thriving.