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More than two-thirds of U.S. households say they are preparing for a possible recession.

Some 69% of participants in a recent poll said they were taking steps to shore up their finances ahead of a possible downturn, including 44% who said they were spending less money. Some 10%, including 13% of college graduates, are looking for a better or more stable job.

Polling company YouGov surveyed 2,605 adults on behalf of personal-finance site Bankrate.com between Sept. 27 and 29. Since then a key economic indicator in the bond market, the so-called yield curve, has switched from a pessimistic reading to a more optimistic one.

The New York Federal Reserve estimates the U.S. economy will grow this quarter at an annualized rate of 1.3% above inflation. But geopolitical news, including Brexit and trade conflict between the U.S. and other countries, have continued to cast clouds.

Recession fears can be self-reinforcing, if they cause consumers to scale back on spending. That is especially true of they cut back going into the holiday shopping period, a key period for many consumer businesses.

While recent news has improved, many Americans remain poorly positioned if the economy does turn down next year. Some 40% told the pollsters they were under-prepared for a recession, including 16%, equivalent to about 40 million Americans, who said they were not prepared at all.

The economy is expected to be a hot issue-as usual-in next year's presidential election. The poll shows some of the key battlegrounds-such as white voters, and those in the Midwest-are no more optimistic than the rest of the country.

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