Chapter 9 discusses the business cycle as well as the relationship between GDP, unemployment, and inflation. If we are in an expanding period of the business cycle, what will these three indicators look like (i.e. high unemployment? low GDP?)? If we are in recessionary period of the business cycle, what will these three indicators look like?

In general, we say macroeconomists focus on these three indicators in order to understand which phase of the business cycle the economy is in. Why is this important? Are macroeconomists interested in lessening or strengthening these cycles?