United States’ real GDP increased 2.3 per cent
year-on-year in 2017, compared with an increase of 1.5 per cent in 2016,
according to the ‘advance’ estimate released by the Bureau of Economic
Analysis, US department of commerce. Real GDP increased 2.6 per cent in the
fourth quarter of 2017, compared to increase of 3.2 per cent in the third
quarter.
“The
increase in real GDP in 2017 primarily reflected positive contributions from
personal consumption expenditures (PCE), non-residential fixed investment, and
exports. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP,
increased,” the bureau said in its report.The
acceleration in real GDP from 2016 to 2017 reflected upturns in non-residential
fixed investment and in exports and a smaller decrease in private inventory
investment. These movements were partly offset by decelerations in residential
fixed investment and in state and local government spending. Imports, which are
a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, accelerated.
Current-dollar GDP increased 4.1 per cent, or $762.3 billion, in 2017 to a
level of $19,386.8 billion, compared with an increase of 2.8 per cent, or
$503.8 billion, in 2016.The price index for gross domestic purchases increased
1.8 per cent in 2017, compared with an increase of 1.0 per cent in 2016. The
PCE price index increased 1.7 per cent in 2017, compared with an increase of
1.2 per cent in the previous year. Excluding food and energy prices, the PCE
price index increased 1.5 per cent last year, compared with an increase of 1.8
per cent a year earlier.
During 2017 (measured from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of
2017), real GDP increased 2.5 per cent, compared with an increase of 1.8 per
cent during 2016. The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 1.9
per cent during 2017, compared with an increase of 1.4 per cent during 2016.
Source: Daily Freeman, U.S.A Saturday, 27 January 2018