Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2024, according to the “third” estimate. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 3.0 percent. The increase in the third quarter primarily reflected increases in consumer spending, exports, business investment, and federal government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.
The U.S. current-account deficit, which reflects the combined balances on trade in goods and services and income flows between U.S. residents and residents of other countries, widened by $35.9 billion, or 13.1 percent, to $310.9 billion in the third quarter of 2024. The widening reflected expanded deficits on secondary income, on primary income, and on goods. The third-quarter deficit was 4.2 percent of current-dollar gross domestic product,…
For over 100 years, our nation’s statistical system has delivered trusted, high-quality statistics that drive government, business, and household decisions. Over that time, BEA and other statistical agencies have evolved with and adapted to our ever-changing economy. Today, we celebrate another step in that evolution with the publication of the “Trust Regulation.”
A blog post from BEA Director Vipin Arora
An old boss of mine was fond of a BEA product that many of our users don’t know about—regional price parities (RPPs). He said regional price parities are BEA’s most underappreciated statistic.
The U.S. goods and services trade deficit decreased from $83.8 billion in September (revised) to $73.8 billion in October, as imports decreased more than exports. The goods deficit decreased $10.4 billion to $98.7 billion, and the services surplus decreased $0.4 billion to $24.8 billion.