Recession Comparisons

I saw this chart somewhere and I was saddened by the fact that my parent's generation has experienced three of the worst bear markets this century during their parenting and retirement years. What's further foreboding is the fact that we're only at the halfway point of the tech crash of 2000-2002, which many consider to be a very "light recession".

The coinciding damage of the stock market and the real estate market does not bode well for our near future prospects. I wish I had seen this chart before settling my family into our current residence. There should be some great deals out there in the next few years, if not already. It was further surprising to see the (small) long term returns on real estate. I guess it just goes to show how much of the herd has a short memory.