The BEA Wire | BEA's Official Blog

Personal Income Rises in December

Personal income increased 2.6 percent in December after increasing 1.0 percent in November. Accelerated bonus payments of $30 billion (at an annual rate) in December and $15 billion in November boosted wages and salaries. Accelerated dividend payments of $291.0 billion in December and $25.8 billion in November, made in anticipation of tax law changes, boosted personal dividend income.

Current-dollar disposable personal income (…

Personal Income Rises in December

Personal income increased 2.6 percent in December after increasing 1.0 percent in November. Accelerated bonus payments of $30 billion (at an annual rate) in December and $15 billion in November boosted wages and salaries. Accelerated dividend payments of $291.0 billion in December and $25.8 billion in November, made in anticipation of tax law changes, boosted personal dividend income.

Current-dollar disposable personal income (…

GDP Declines Slightly in Fourth Quarter

Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013 after increasing 3.1 percent in the third quarter, according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. For the full year 2012, real GDP increased 2.2 percent after increasing 1.8 percent in 2011.

Fourth-quarter highlights The decline in real GDP growth in the fourth quarter reflected the following:

November 2012 Trade Gap is $48.7 Billion

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in November 2012, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $42.1 billion (revised) in October to $48.7 billion in November, as imports increased more than exports. The previously published October deficit was $42.2 billion. The goods deficit increased $6.6 billion from October to $65.7 billion in November, and the services…

Real Disposable Personal Income Turns Up in November

Personal income increased 0.6 percent in November after increasing 0.1 percent in October. Wages and salaries increased 0.6 percent in November after decreasing 0.3 percent in October. The October decrease reflected work interruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy, which reduced wages and salaries by 0.3 percent.

GDP Growth Accelerates in Third Quarter

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2012 after increasing 1.3 percent in the second quarter, according to estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The third-quarter growth rate was revised up 0.4 percentage point from the second estimate released in November.

State Personal Income: Third Quarter 2012

State personal income growth slowed to 0.5 percent in the third quarter of 2012 from 0.7 percent in the second quarter. Growth slowed in 34 states, accelerated in 11, and was unchanged in 5. Growth across states ranged from 1.4 percent in North Dakota to –1.6 percent in South Dakota. Inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, accelerated to 0.4 percent in the third quarter from 0.2 percent in the…

U.S. Current-Account Deficit Decreases in Third Quarter 2012

The U.S. current-account deficit—the combined balances on trade in goods and services, income, and net unilateral current transfers—decreased to $107.5 billion (preliminary) in the third quarter of 2012 from $118.1 billion (revised) in the second quarter of 2012. As a percentage of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), the deficit decreased to 2.7 percent from 3.0 percent. The previously published current-account deficit for the second quarter…

Highlights of the Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for Third Quarter 2012

Real spending on travel and tourism slowed in the third quarter of 2012, increasing at an annual rate of 0.6 percent after increasing 2.2 percent in the second quarter. The primary contributor to the slowdown was a downturn in all other transportation-related commodities, which includes motor vehicle fuel, travel arrangement and reservations services, and automotive renting and leasing.

BEA Provides Easier Access to Important Economic Measures

How fast is the economy growing? How much output is produced by labor and capital supplied by the United States? What income is generated by production? BEA produces several different measures for tracking production and economic growth in the United States. Gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the most widely used metrics, but there are several others that also provide important information on the condition of the United…

October 2012 Trade Gap is $42.2 Billion

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in October 2012, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $40.3 billion (revised) in September to $42.2 billion in October, as exports decreased more than imports. The previously published September deficit was $41.5 billion. The goods deficit increased $1.8 billion from September to $59.2 billion in October, and the services…

Real Consumer Spending Falls in October

Personal income remained flat in October after increasing 0.4 percent in September. Wages and salaries decreased 0.2 percent in October after increasing 0.3 percent in September. The October decrease reflected work interruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy, which reduced wages and salaries by 0.3 percent. For more information, see the personal income news release.