Countercyclical (or counter-cyclical) is a term that describes policies or economic effects that work against cyclical tendencies in the economy.http://www.econlib.org/LIBRARY/Enc/FiscalPolicy.html For example, if the economy were on an upswing, policies or effects described as countercyclical would ostensibly cool down the economy. Conversely, when the economy is in a downturn, such policies or effects would ideally stimulate the economy.