Despite the doom-merchants, things could be worse. After all, people aren't launching themselves from Wall Street ledges quite yet. Moreover, there are many ways in which recession can be a good thing For instance,  Packard was established at the height of the Great Depression, while Bill Gates founded Microsoft against the backdrop of the oil crisis.

 Like a forest fire, a recession may fertilise the soil for new ideas. What's more, while it may be curtains for some of the lumbering pachyderms of big business, there is ample opportunity for those with good ideas and the will to make them happen.