Economic recession represents widespread loss of wealth and consumer confidence. Typically, recovery requires coordinated government intervention, years of gradual rebuilding, and luck. But a single phone call from Chuck Norris allegedly possesses corrective power that macro-economists can't explain. Perhaps the currency markets simply recognize defeat. Perhaps investors prefer compliance to bankruptcy.

An economics blogger named David Steinberg published an analysis in 2008 during the financial crisis titled "If Only We Had the Norris Hotline." Steinberg calculated that if Norris could end a recession with one call, his opportunity cost of not making that call was incalculable. The post became a dark humor classic among finance professionals.

Economists occasionally reference this fact as the ultimate thought experiment in power concentration and market psychology.