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THURSDAY, August 29, 2013

GDP GROWTH PICKS UP IN SECOND QUARTER
Corporate Profits Turn Up
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 2.5 percent in the second quarter of 2013 after increasing 1.1 percent
in the first quarter, according to the “second” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The secondquarter growth rate was revised up 0.8 percentage point from the advance estimate released in July.
Quarter-to-Quarter Growth in Real GDP
6

4
Percent

GDP growth highlights
The second-quarter acceleration reflected the
following:
 An upturn in goods exports; nonautomotive
consumer goods accelerated, and civilian
aircraft and parts turned up.
 An upturn in business investment, mainly in
power and communication structures.

2

These contributions to the acceleration in economic growth were offset in part by an acceleration in imports; autos, engines, and parts turned
up. In addition, inventory investment and consumer spending slowed.

0

-2
III IV
2009

I

II III
2010

IV

I

II III
2011

IV

I

II III
2012

IV

I

II
2013

Real GDP growth is measured at seasonally adjusted annual rates

Revisions
The revision to second-quarter GDP growth reflected:
 An upward revision to exports of goods, mainly nonautomotive capital goods, industrial supplies and materials, and nonautomotive consumer goods.
 A downward revision to imports; nonautomotive consumer goods and petroleum products were the top contributors.
 An upward revision to inventory investment, reflecting upward revisions to inventory investment at auto dealerships and general merchandise stores.
Offsetting these upward revisions to GDP growth, state and local government spending was revised down.
For more information about the second-quarter revisions, see the technical note.
Corporate profits
BEA’s featured measure of corporate profits
rebounded in the second quarter, increasing 3.9
percent after decreasing 1.3 percent in the first
quarter.

Quarter-to-Quarter Growth in Corporate Profits
20
15
10

Profits of nonfinancial corporations rose 4.2
percent after falling 0.3 percent.
 Profits of financial corporations increased
3.3 percent after decreasing 0.9 percent.
 Profits from the “rest of the world” rose 3.4
percent after falling 4.7 percent.

Percent



5
0
-5

-10

Compared with second quarter of 2012, secondquarter corporate profits rose 5.0 percent.

III

IV

2009

I

II

III

2010

IV

I

II

III

2011

IV

I

II

III

IV

2012

I

II

2013

Corporate profits growth is measured as the percent change from the previous quarter.

BEA data—including GDP, personal income, the balance of payments, foreign direct investment, the input-output accounts, and economic
data for states, local areas, and industries—are available on the BEA Web site: www.bea.gov. E-mail alerts are also available.
NOTE: The “third” estimate of GDP for the second quarter and a revised estimate of corporate profits for the second quarter will be released
on September 26, 2013.
Contact: Jeannine Aversa (202) 606-2649

Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce