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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015

GDP GROWTH RATE REVISED UP
“Second” estimate of third-quarter GDP released
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 2.1 percent in the third quarter of 2015, according to the “second”
estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The growth rate was revised up 0.6 percentage point from
the “advance” estimate released in October. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 3.9 percent.

Business investment, state and local government
spending, residential investment, and exports
also contributed to the increase in real GDP.

Quarter-to-Quarter Growth in Real GDP
6

4
Percent

GDP highlights
The third-quarter increase in real GDP mainly
reflected a rise in consumer spending. Spending
on nondurable and durable goods increased.
Spending on services also increased, notably on
health care.

2

0

These contributions to real GDP growth were
partly offset by a decline in inventory investment, notably in manufacturing. Also, imports, a
subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.

-2
IV
2011

I

II III
2012

IV

I

II III
2013

IV

I

II III
2014

IV

I

II III
2015

Real GDP growth is measured at seasonally adjusted annual rates.

Real final sales of domestic product—GDP less inventory investment—increased 2.7 percent in the third quarter,
compared with a 3.9 percent increase in the second quarter.
Revisions
The revision to real GDP growth reflected an upward revision to private inventory investment that was partly offset by downward revisions to consumer spending and to exports.

Quarter-to-Quarter Growth in Corporate Profits

Corporate profits
Corporate profits decreased 1.1 percent at a quarterly rate in the third quarter after increasing 3.5
percent in the second quarter.

15
10
5

increased 1.2 percent after increasing 1.9
percent.
 Profits of domestic financial corporations
decreased 2.2 percent after increasing 9.6
percent.
 Profits from the rest of the world decreased
7.4 percent after increasing 2.9 percent.

Percent

 Profits of domestic nonfinancial corporations

0
-5

-10
-15
IV

Over the last 4 quarters, corporate profits decreased 4.7 percent.

2011

I

II

III

2012

IV

I

II

III

2013

IV

I

II

III

IV

I

2014

II

III

2015

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 third quarter of 2015 and a revised estimate of corporate profits will be released on
December 22, 2015.
Contact: Jeannine Aversa (202) 606-2649

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