Free Republic

After crawling ahead at just a 0.5% annual pace in the first quarter, the slowest in two years, the American economy is due for a bounce — but how high? The jury is out whether the economy has simply hit another speed bump or is facing a more fundamental slowdown, but some details in Thursday’s Commerce Department report point to the latter. U.S. GDP also fizzled at the start of 2014 and 2015, shrinking 0.9% in the former and edging up 0.6% last year... Yet it’s iffy whether the economy can rebound to the same extent... On the plus side,...

The new normal: The economy is not good. The economy has not been good for the entire Obama presidency Businesses aren’t spending money. Neither are consumers. And while the unemployment rate is made to look good, record low labor-force participation tells a different story. The economy is not good. The economy has not been good for the entire Obama presidency. And while Democrats hope we’re getting used to horrendous news like this, we shouldn’t be: The U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace in roughly 2 years, climbing just 0.5 percent in the first three months of 2016.

U.S. economic growth braked sharply to its slowest pace in two years as consumer spending softened and a strong dollar continued to undercut exports, but a pick-up in activity is anticipated given a buoyant labor market. Gross domestic product increased at a 0.5 percent annual rate, the slowest since the first quarter of 2014, the Labor Department said on Thursday in its advance estimate, also as businesses doubled down on efforts to reduce unwanted merchandise clogging up warehouses. The economy was also blindsided by cheap oil, which has hurt the profits of oil field companies like Schlumberger and Halliburton, resulting...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy hobbled along at a weaker-than-expected pace in the first quarter as the war in Iraq and severe winter weather took a toll on spending and investment, a government report showed on Friday. U.S. gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the economy's health, grew by an anemic 1.6 percent in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department said. That was a bit faster than the 1.4 percent growth rate recorded in the fourth quarter of last year, but it fell well short of the revival in growth some economists had been...

Fed Beige Book: Econ Still Lackluster In Mar, Early Apr Beige Bk: Iraq War, Poor Weather Hurt Consumer Spending Beige Bk:Too Early To Tell Full War Impact On Confidence Beige Bk: Firms Optimistic On Retail Outlook Next 6 Mos Beige Bk: Labor Mkts Soft, But Some Signs Of Improvement Beige Bk:Manufacturing Still Weak, But Some Growth Cited Beige Bk: Firms Cautious On Spending; Housing Mkt Strong Beige Bk: No Wage Pressures; Insurance, Health Costs Up Beige Book -2: Report Covers Length Of Iraq War WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. economy continued to struggle in March and early April as the war...

Blue Chip economists trim U.S. growth forecast Sat May 10, 2003 12:00 AM ET WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - Private economists trimmed their forecasts for U.S. economic growth still further and now regard even the second half of 2003 with pessimism after a slew of data showed the U.S. economy still struggling to recover.The closely watched Blue Chip Economic Indicators newsletter said its panel cut growth forecasts for each of the next three quarters, extending the steady erosion in the survey's outlook that began last summer. Gloomier still, nearly two-thirds of the more than 50 business economists on the panel...

US Q1'03 GDP rev to +1.4 pct Thursday June 26, 8:31 am ET WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - Commerce Department seasonally adjusted Gross Domestic Product data on a chain-weighted basis. Following are annualized percent changes from prior quarters, in 1996 chain dollars. . Q1-F Q1-P Q4 2002 GDP 1.4 1.9 1.4 2.4 Final Sales of Dom. Product 2.3 2.4 1.1 1.8 Final Sales to Dom. Buyers 1.4 1.4 2.6 2.4 GDP price index 2.4 2.5 1.8 1.1 PCE price index 2.7 2.7 1.8 1.4 Core PCE price index 0.8 0.8 1.5 1.7 Implicit Deflator 2.4 2.5 1.8 1.1 Consumer Spending...

US Q1'03 GDP rev to +1.9 pct Thursday May 29, 8:31 am ET WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - Commerce Department seasonally adjusted Gross Domestic Product data on a chain-weighted basis. Following are annualized percent changes from prior quarters, in 1996 chain dollars. Q1-P Q1-A Q4 2002 GDP 1.9 1.6 1.4 2.4 Final Sales of Dom. Product 2.4 2.1 1.1 1.8 Final Sales to Dom. Buyers 1.4 1.2 2.6 2.4 GDP price index 2.5 2.5 1.8 1.1 PCE price index 2.7 2.8 1.8 1.4 Core PCE price index 0.8 0.9 1.5 1.7 Implicit Deflator 2.5 2.5 1.8 1.1 Consumer Spending 2.0...