Fears of long recession rising

Growing number of economists worry that second-half recovery is out of reach and that recession will be longer and more painful than current forecasts.

By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: April 14, 2008: 3:57 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- There is little debate about whether the U.S. economy is in a recession. The question is how painful and long the downturn will be.

There is a growing fear among some economists that the recession will be particularly bad.

"We just can't believe it's going to be short. The question is how bad can it get? The situation is moving more towards severe than towards mild," said Allen Sinai, chief global economist for Decision Economics.