U.S. now in recession expected to last until September, UCLA forecasts

Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 16, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City. - Trading on Wall Street was halted immediately after the opening bell Monday, as stocks posted steep losses following emerg

The U.S. economy is in a recession expected to last through September, according to a revised forecast released Monday by UCLA that reflects rapid changes brought on by the coronavirus.

The university took the extraordinary step of revising its quarterly Anderson Forecast that was just released Thursday -- the first time in 68 years it has issued an update between regularly scheduled quarterly releases.

RELATED: U.S. equity markets plunge after Federal Reserve takes emergency action to combat economic harm caused by coronavirus outbreak

The first-quarter 2020 GDP growth forecast has been reduced to 0.4% given the escalating impacts of the pandemic, despite a strong start to the year. The forecast predicts a resumption of normal activity in the fourth quarter, with GDP growth of 4%. The full year expectation is for a 0.4% decline, with a full recovery to trend by 2022.

Get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.

Researchers made the revision after reviewing the 1957-58 H2N2 influenza pandemic.

For California, given its larger reliance on tourism and trans-Pacific transportation, the downturn is expected to be more severe, according to the forecast. Employment is expected to contract by 0.7% overall this year, with unemployment rising to 6.3% by the end of this year and increasing into 2021.