Financial FAQs
Fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product, the total value of the country's production of purchases of domestically-produced goods and services by individuals, businesses, foreigners and government entities, rose to 2.9 percent from 2.6 percent in its third and final revision by the Commerce Department, finishing off 2017 with a bang and raising total 2017 GDP growth to 2.6 percent.
It was mostly consumer spending, up 4 percent, but personal incomes are rising faster as well, which will boost spending and continued good growth in 2018. This is because Real Disposable Income (less inflation and taxes) rose 0.4 percent pushing the annual increase to more than 2 percent.
“The strongest news in the report comes from the wages & salaries component of personal income which posted a fourth straight sharp gain,” reports Econoday, “at 0.5 percent. This helped total income which rose 0.4 percent for a third straight month and also helped the savings rate which rose 2 tenths to a still modest 3.4 percent.”
This measure includes all forms of compensation including employer contributions to medical insurance and pensions and has been showing more life than average hourly earnings, which is part of the monthly employment report and is the most closely watched of all wage measures.
However, it did nothing to inflation, as the GDP’s price index rose 2.3 percent Q/Q, but is up just 1.8 percent annually, as is the Fed’s preferred Personal Consumption (PCE) index. So still no inflation, even though wage and salaries are beginning to surge, and labor costs account for 2/3rds of product costs.
The Fed has said it will probably raise their interest rate twice more this year, which will put the Prime Rate at 5.25 percent, raising credit card rates and crimping consumer borrowing.
But with wages soaring, that may not slow down consumer spending or the growing foreign trade deficit. The goods deficit from countries such as China is now $75B/per in February and growing. So why is this administration pushing for trade tariffs, which is already instigating a trade war, and making those same goods more expensive to Americans?
No one believes this will reduce the trade deficit, either, as the manufactured goods we export will become more expensive, as well, reducing the demand for exports.
Harlan Green © 2018
Follow Harlan Green on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarlanGreen
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