The opposite of a recession is an expansion—a period in which the economy is growing at a rate that is significantly above normal. A particularly strong and protracted expansion is called a boom. In the United States, strong expansions occurred during 1933–1937, 1961–1969, 1982–1990, and 1991–2001, with exceptionally strong growth during 1995–2000 (see Figure 10.1). On average, expansions have been much longer than recessions. The final column of Table 10.1 shows the duration, in months, of U.S. expansions since 1929. As you can see in the table, the 1961–1969 expansion lasted 106 months; the 1982–1990 expansion, 92 months. The longest expansion of all began in March 1991, at the trough of the 1990–1991 recession. This expansion lasted 120 months, a full 10 years, until a new recession began in March 2001.