U.S. BEA reports GDP increase at annual rate of 2.0 percent for third quarter of 2015

Real gross domestic product -- the value of the goods and services produced by the nation’s economy less the value of the goods and services used up in production, adjusted for price changes -- increased at an annual rate of 2.0 percent in the third quarter of 2015, according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 3.9 percent.

The GDP estimate released today is based on more complete source data than were available for the "second" estimate issued last month. In the second estimate, the increase in real GDP was 2.1 percent. With the third estimate for the third quarter, the general picture of economic growth remains the same; private inventory investment decreased more than previously estimated.

The increase in real GDP in the third quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE), nonresidential fixed investment, state and local government spending, residential fixed investment, and exports that were partly offset by a negative contribution from private inventory investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.

The deceleration in real GDP in the third quarter primarily reflected a downturn in private inventory investment and decelerations in exports, in PCE, in nonresidential fixed investment, and in state and local government spending that were partly offset by a deceleration in imports.

Real gross domestic income (GDI), which measures the value of the production of goods and services in the United States as the costs incurred and the incomes earned in production, increased 2.7 percent in the third quarter, compared with an increase of 2.2 percent in the second. The average of real GDP and real GDI, a supplemental measure of U.S. economic activity that equally weights GDP and GDI, increased 2.3 percent in the third quarter, compared with an increase of 3.0 percent in the second.

NOTE. Quarterly estimates are expressed at seasonally adjusted annual rates, unless otherwise specified. Percent changes are calculated from unrounded data and are annualized. "Real" estimates are in chained (2009) dollars. Price indexes are chain-type measures.

​This news release is available on BEA's Web site / view PDF.
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Real Gross Domestic Purchases
Purchases by U.S. residents of goods and services wherever produced -- increased 2.2 percent in the third quarter, compared with an increase of 3.6 percent in the second.

Price Index for Gross Domestic Purchases
The price index for gross domestic purchases, which measures prices paid by U.S. residents, increased 1.3 percent in the third quarter, compared with an increase of 1.5 percent in the second. Excluding food and energy prices, the price index for gross domestic purchases increased 1.3 percent, compared with an increase of 1.2 percent.

Current-Dollar GDP
The market value of the goods and services produced by the nation’s economy less the value of the goods and services used up in production -- increased 3.3 percent, or $146.5 billion, in the third quarter to a level of $18,060.2 billion. In the second quarter, current-dollar GDP increased 6.1 percent, or $264.4 billion.

Revisions
The small downward revision to the percent change in real GDP primarily reflected a downward revision to private inventory investment, based primarily on revised Census inventory data. For more information, see the Technical Note. For information on revisions, see "The Revisions to GDP, GDI, and Their Major Components."

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