Money & WorkFact
The two-quarter rule is a rule of thumb, not a definition.
Popularly, an economy is in recession when real GDP shrinks for two consecutive quarters. In the United States, though, an NBER committee decides, looking at several indicators such as employment and income – sometimes months after the fact.
Useful: When headlines say "technical recession", they mean the rule of thumb, not an official verdict.
Source: de.wikipedia.org