"Not yet" - Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary says no recession for now

Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary recently sat down for an interview with Yahoo Finance about the growing concerns among small business owners about a possible recession. The host pointed out that many such companies have stopped hiring because of uncertainty around tariff policies.

These small businesses play an important part in the economy of the United States. It is because they make up 80% of the hiring. However, Kevin had a different opinion about the matter. He says he doesn't see any signs of a recession happening in the country at this point.

"I don't see that. We're still hiring," O'Leary said. Explaining his point of view, the Shark Tank investor noted that business owners might express concerns about market research and analysis, but their business decisions tell a different tale.

On the other hand, he talked about the stock market's ups and downs and how it could cause a frenzy among the general public; they generally don't affect the immediate decisions of business owners.

He claims that looking at real business activities instead of just market headlines is important when analyzing the economy's health. Explaining it all, he said,

"You can say one thing to someone who's doing market research, and then you have to turn around and deal with your business. You're asking me do I see a recession, I'm telling you no, I'm not. Not yet. In 30 days I may have a different answer, but right now, as I go through the tear sheets of last Tuesday, I don't see it."

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Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary shares his views about small businesses fearing recession

Kevin O'Leary, the Shark Tank investor, said that he is analyzing the numbers and term sheets that are published during a period of uncertainty and doesn't think that anything is wrong with the US economy right now.

He doesn't seem to believe that there is an ongoing recession but also makes it clear that the opinion could change in a month because these situations are unpredictable.

Given the fact that these numbers were published during a period of uncertainty related to tariffs discussed at the White House, it further causes Kevin to believe that things are not as bad as they seem.

He then talked about the stock market volatility; when the charts dropped by about 10%, people started to get nervous. The Shark Tank investor says that even though these headlines of market fluctuations can be unsettling, they don't necessarily change the big decisions that business owners make. He said,

"When the market declines 10%, people get nervous. That's volatility. But it doesn't necessarily change their day-to-day decision on capex which drives job creation and growth."

Another key observation made by the Shark Tank investor is how an average person might view market trends versus how the media does. He meant that financial experts and media might closely watch every market change. Kevin says that a regular person may not be as concerned unless it directly affects their job or life. Explaining, he said,

"Yes, we are talking because you are Yahoo Finance, but the average guy on the street is not as myopically focused on the Dow and the NASDAQ as we are."

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes are released weekly on ABC at 8 PM Eastern Time on Fridays. They are later available to watch on Hulu.