from San Diego Union Tribune’s EconoMeter panel.

Q: Is the U.S. headed for a recession this year?p?

Bob’s Answer: No.

The U.S. economy is strong enough to avoid a recession despite the global economic challenges we face. While the challenges are real, it is more likely that we face a problem in 2017.

Here’s why — we are in an election year. The lone recent exception to the theory of election year economics was 2008 and there were huge problems developing at that time. Watch for a soft landing in 2017 after a solid 2016.

Read more answers here.