This document discusses business cycles and their phases. It defines a business cycle as recurring fluctuations in economic activity across various macroeconomic variables. Business cycles have four phases: peak, recession, trough, and recovery. The peak phase sees high economic activity and growth, while the recession phase is a period of declining output and rising unemployment. Trough is when economic activity hits its lowest point, then the recovery phase begins as activity increases again. The document also outlines several theories for what causes business cycles, such as monetary, overinvestment, psychological, and innovation-based theories.