Following a 25 basis points increase in March, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee unanimously approved a further 50 basis points increase for the federal funds target rate, the largest increase for the rate in more than two decades. The Fed also provided details for its plan to reduce its balance sheet (quantitative tightening), which…
The most recent data release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed that personal income increased 0.5% in March after a 0.7% gain in February. Gains in personal income are largely driven by increases in compensation of employees. However, it was 11.6% lower than a year ago when US government implemented stimulus packages to…
Housing’s share of the economy edged higher at the start of 2022 due in part to a surprise drop in growth. For the first quarter of 2022, overall GDP growth declined at a 1.4% annual rate, driven by increased inventories and a jump in imports. Housing’s share of GDP increased to 16.7%, somewhat off a…
In the first quarter of 2022, real GDP declined for the first time since the pandemic recession, as inflation surged to a 40-year high and supply chain disruptions remain persistent. This quarter’s decrease reflected a deceleration in private inventory investment, decreases in exports and government spending and an increase in imports. According to the “advance”…
Driven by higher food, gasoline and housing cost, consumer prices continued to accelerate in March. This marked the sixth straight month for inflation above a 6% rate and was the fastest annual pace since December 1981. Though gas prices have fallen slightly from their March highs, the pace of inflation will likely stay high in…
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2021 as the economy continued to recover from the COVID-19 crisis. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the percent change increase in real GDP ranged from 8.6 percent in Tennessee to 0.3 percent in Alaska. Nationwide, growth…
After dropping to a one-year low last month, consumer confidence rebounded slightly in March as strong job growth offset consumer’s concerns about the Ukraine crisis and decades-high inflation. The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, rose 1.5 points from 105.7 to 107.2 in March. The Present Situation Index increased 10.0 points from 143.0…
