Corporate Profits, Exports Boost US GDP

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By Chris Lange Published
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The first revision to real gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter was reported Thursday morning. The first estimate reported a sharp increase in real GDP of 4.0%, which was up from the first quarter when GDP decreased by 2.1%.

When the first GDP report for the second quarter was released, there was an expected gain of about 3.1%. The revision came in at 4.2%, just above the Bloomberg estimate of 4.0%, while Dow Jones had pegged the estimate at 3.8%.

Even with this slight increase in the GDP estimate, the big economic picture remains basically unchanged. It would appear that most economists are not second-guessing the number going forward and that the future revision will remain in this range.

Corporate spending and profits had a big effect on this revision. Corporate spending increased $154.9 billion in the second quarter compared to a decrease of $201.7 billion in the first.

Real nonresidential fixed investment increased 8.4% in the second quarter, which leaped over the first quarter’s 1.6% posting.

Exports of goods and services increased 10.1%, compared to the decrease of 9.2% in the first quarter.

The GDP price index rose 2.1%, which is just above the estimate of 2.0%. The GDP price index remains relatively unchanged from the previous estimate.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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