The S&P 500 index has been pushed into bear-market territory and now trades down roughly 21% year to date. U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) unexpectedly fell 1.6% in this year's first quarter, and recently released data modeling from the Atlanta Federal Reserve estimates that the country's GDP contracted 1% in the recently completed second quarter. If so, that means the economy will have notched two consecutive quarters in decline and likely have entered a recession.