July 26, 2019

Chart of the Day: GDP Growth in Q2

Real GDP grew 2.1 percent in the second quarter:

Personal consumption was up a healthy 4.3 percent, but business investment plummeted -5.5 percent. Exports were down and imports were flat. Federal government spending added more than usual to GDP by about 0.4 percentage points. State government spending was also higher than average, by about 0.2 percentage points. If government spending had been at normal levels, GDP would have increased 1.5 percent instead of 2.1 percent. Inflation was higher than last quarter.

Overall, this is an OK but not great GDP report for the private sector, saved only by higher government spending.

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