Full text of U.S. Financial Data : March 28, 2002

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March 28, 2002

USFinancialData
THE WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS:
■ According to the final estimate, real GDP grew at a 1.7 percent
annual rate during the fourth quarter of 2001. The final estimate
was 0.3 percentage points greater than the preliminary estimate
and 1.5 percentage points more than the advance estimate.
■ In the fourth quarter of 2001, corporate profits increased $125.0
billion, or 17.9 percent. In percentage terms the fourth-quarter
increase—which was the first in five quarters—was the largest
since the second quarter of 1946. Corporate profits are adjusted
for inventory valuation changes and capital consumption charges.
■ For the week ending March 23, initial claims for state unemployment
insurance benefits rose 18,000 to 394,000. The four-week moving
average rose 3,250 to 383,500, the third consecutive increase.
■ After falling 15.8 percent in January, sales of new single-family
homes rose 5.3 percent in February to an annual rate of 875,000
units. Measured from a year earlier, however, new home sales are
down 8.8 percent.
■ In February, new orders to manufacturers for durable goods rose
1.5 percent, the third consecutive increase. New orders for computers
and electronic products, however, fell 2.4 percent, the first decline
in five months. New orders are not adjusted for price changes.
■ The Conference Board’s index of consumer confidence rose 15.2
percentage points in March to its highest level in seven months.

All data are seasonally adjusted unless otherwise indicated.
U.S. Financial Data is published weekly by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of
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Information in this publication is also included in the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) data base
on the internet at www.stls.frb.org/fred.