A prominent economist has suggested that a significant downturn, similar in scale to the 2008 Lehman Brothers collapse, may be necessary to justify the current pessimistic sentiment in financial markets. This assertion is based on the notion that the prevailing gloom in the markets appears to be disproportionate to the actual economic conditions.

The economist's viewpoint is that the markets are currently exhibiting a level of bearishness that is typically associated with major financial crises, such as the one triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. However, the present economic landscape does not seem to warrant such extreme pessimism, leading to a mismatch between market sentiment and underlying economic fundamentals.

The economist's statement implies that a significant and dramatic event, akin to the Lehman Brothers meltdown, might be required to reconcile the current market mood with the actual state of the economy. This perspective is based on an analysis of the prevailing market conditions and the apparent disconnect between market sentiment and economic reality.