Key Economic Indicators – June 3, 2019

  • Real GDP increased at an annual rate of 3.1% in the first quarter of 2019, according to the “second” estimate by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2018, real GDP increased 2.2%. In the advance estimate, released a month ago, the increase in real GDP was 3.2% for the first quarter.
  • Real final sales of domestic product (GDP less change in private inventories) increased 2.5% in the first quarter, in contrast to an increase of 2.1% in the final quarter of 2018.
  • Real gross domestic income (GDI) increased 1.4% in the first quarter of 2019, compared with a decrease of 0.5% in the final quarter of 2018.
  • The average of real GDP and real GDI, a supplemental measure of U.S. economic activity that equally weights GDP and GDI, increased 2.2% in the first quarter, compared with an increase of 1.3% in the fourth quarter of 2018.
  • The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 0.7% in the first quarter of 2019, compared with an increase of 1.7% in the previous quarter.
  • The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index increased 0.4%, compared with an increase of 1.5%. Excluding food and energy prices, the PCE price index increased 1.0%, compared with an increase of 1.8%.
  • Corporate profits from current production decreased $65.4 billion in the first quarter of 2019, after a decrease of $9.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018. Profits of domestic financial corporations increased $7.4 billion in the first quarter of 2019, in contrast to a decrease of $25.2 billion in the previous quarter. Profits of domestic nonfinancial corporations decreased $62.0=1 billion, compared with an increase of $13.6 billion in the previous quarter. The rest-of-the-world component of profits decreased $10.7 billion in the first quarter, following an increase of $1.9 billion.
  • Personal income increased 0.5% in April, following a 0.1% increase in the previous month. Personal consumption expenditures increased 0.3%, after increasing 1.1% in the previous month. Real disposable income increased 0.1% in April, while real personal consumption expenditures held steady. The savings rate, personal saving as a percentage of disposable income, was 6.2% in April, up from 6.1% in March.
  • The price index for personal consumption expenditures increased 0.3% in April, after an increase of 0.2% in March. The core index increased 0.2%, following a 0.1% increase in the previous month. The price index for personal consumption expenditures was up 1.5% from April 2018, while the core index was up 1.6%.

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