The U.S. economy grew faster than expected during the first three months of this year. Here are the five things we learned from U.S. economic data released during the week ending April 26.
GDP rebounded in Q1. The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ initial estimate of first quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has the U.S. economy expanding at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 3.2 percent. This up from Q4 2018’s 2.2 percent growth rate, but below the Q2 and Q3 paces of expansion of +4.2 percent and +3.4 percent, respectively. The biggest positive contributors to Q1 GDP were personal consumption (adding 82-basis points to the growth rate), change in private inventories (contributing 65-basis points), imports (58-basis points), exports (45-basis points), government expenditures (41-basis points), and nonresidential fixed investment (38-basis points). Dragging down Q1 GDP was residential fixed investment, which cost 11-basis points in economic growth. The BEA will revise its estimate of Q1 GDP twice over the next two months.
Economic data suggest business activity picked up in March. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI), a weighted index of 85 economic measures, improved by 16-basis points during the month to a reading of -0.15, its best reading since last December. (The CFNAI is designed such that a 0.00 reading indicates the U.S. economy is growing at its historical average.) Thirty-seven CFNAI components made positive contributions to the headline index, with 47 others making negative contributions and one with a neutral contribution. Among the four major categories of indicators, three of four made improved contributions in March: sales/orders/inventories made a +0.05 contribution (up from +0.01 in February), employment improved by 12-basis points to -0.03, and production improved by two-basis points to -0.10. Losing a basis point was the contribution from personal consumption/housing (to -0.07). The CFNAI’s three-month moving average slumped by six basis points to -0.24, which suggests below average economic growth.
Existing home sales pulled back in March following February’s bounce. The National Association of Realtors indicates that sales of previously owned homes dropped 4.9 percent during March to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 5.21 million units. This followed an 11.2 percent sales surge in February. Sales fell in all four Census regions: Midwest (-7.9 percent), West (-6.0 percent), South (-3.4 percent), and South (-2.1 percent). Existing home sales were 5.4 percent behind their March 2018 pace, with negative 12-month comparables in all four Census regions. There were 1.68 million homes on the market at the end of March, which was the most since last November, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier, and the equivalent to a 3.9 month supply. The press release noted that sales were “underperforming in relation to the strength in the jobs markets.
But new home sales rose in March. The Census Bureau reports that sales of single-family homes increased 4.5 percent during the month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 692,000 units. This was 3.0 percent ahead of the March 2018 sales pace. Sales grew during the month in three of four Census regions—Midwest (+17.6 percent), West (+6.7 percent), and South (+3.6 percent—but dropped 22.2 percent in the Northeast. There were 344,000 new homes available for sale at the end of March, up 13.2 percent from a year earlier and the equivalent to a 6.0 month supply.
Consumer confidence eased slightly in April. The Index of Consumer Sentiment lost 1.2 points during the month to a seasonally adjusted 97.2 (1966Q1=100), per the University of Michigan. While the measure was off 1.6 points from a year earlier, it has stayed within a relatively narrow ten-point range (91.2 to 101.4) since November 2016. Losing a full point was the current conditions index to 112.3 (April 2018: 114.9) while the expected conditions index shed 1.4 points to 87.4 (April 2018: 88.4). The press released noted that the “data indicate that inflation-adjusted personal consumption expenditures will grow by 2.5 percent in 2019.”
Other U.S. economic data released over the past week:
– Jobless Claims (week ending April 20, 2019, First-Time Claims, seasonally adjusted): 230,000 (+37,000 vs. previous week). 4-week moving average: 206,000
– Durable Goods Orders (March 2019, New Orders for Manufactured Durable Goods, seasonally adjusted): $258.5 billion (+2.7% vs. February 2019).
– Bankruptcy Filings (12-Month Period through March 31, 2019, Business and Non-Business Filings): 772,646 (-0.9% vs. March 31, 2018).- FHFA House Price Index (February 2019, Purchase-Only Index, seasonally adjusted): +0.3% vs. January 2019, +4.9% vs. February 2018.
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What We Learned About the U.S. Economy Last Week 