A phase of the business cycle in which the economy as a whole is in decline. More specificaly, contraction occurs after the business cycle peaks, but before it becomes a through.
According to most economist, a contraction is said to occur when a country's real GDP has declined for two or more consecutive quarters.
For most people, a contraction in the economy can be source of economic hardship; as the economy plunges into a contraction, people start losing their jobs. While no economic contraction lasts forever, it is very difficult to assess just how long a downtrend will continue before it reverses because history has shown that a contraction can last for many years (such as during the Great Depression).
Source: http://www.investopedia.com
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