Post by unlawflcombatnt on Nov 3, 2006 0:51:34 GMT -6
Below is an excerpt from an article from [url=http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2006/10/gdp_01.html
]The Big Picture: Actual GDP[/url] regarding the still unbelievable 3rd quarter GDP growth of 1.6%. The author points out the lower-than-expected GDP deflator (1.8% instead of the predicted 2.8%) as well as the "surprise" increase in auto sales of 26%.
Actual GDP: ~0%
Don't pay attention to the statistically aberrant GDP number reported Friday
Don't pay attention to the statistically aberrant GDP number reported Friday.
Its actually much worse.
Thanks to a "statistical fluke," GDP was actually less than 1%:
"Last quarter's annualized 26 percent increase in auto production shocked Joe Carson, now director of economic research at AllianceBernstein LP in New York. Without the gain, the economy would have grown at an annual rate of 0.9 percent, not the 1.6 percent the Commerce Department reported today.
The increase in output came despite cutbacks announced by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and others. A drop in the wholesale price of SUVs and light trucks as the automakers cleared leftover 2006 models made production look stronger than it actually was, said Carson. The economic fallout from the auto-industry cutbacks will instead come this quarter, he said."
What brought this aberrational data point about? The number crunchers in the Commerce Department rely on wholesale prices for light trucks. The 5.5% decrease in SUVs had the effect of making output look stronger -- but only when adjusted for inflation. In reality, these were firesales to move product off the lot.
Consider this related tidbit: AutoNation, the largest dealership and sellers of new cars in the country, said it expects to cut 2007 purchases from the big 3 by 30%.
And its not just cars: WalMart reported its weakest monthly sales gains since December 2000 -- despite the 30 decrease in gasoline prices since the summer. In the US, Sales rose just 0.5% -- significantly below the 2-to-4% improvement originally forecast for October.
Bottom line: If we have to torture the data to get to just 1.6% GDP, imagine what is actually going on in the economy.
This is the primary reason we have "obsessed" so much on Real Estate. Without the massive contribution of residential housing to the overall economy -- from job creation to transactional business to MEW -- there simply is not a whole lot of growth to be found elsewhere.
Other noteworthy items in the Q3 GDP report: There was an unexpectedly large accumulation of inventories. This implies manufacturing output will slow further in Q4, as manufacturers trim production this quarter to reduce the increased inventory build up.
Also of note:
The GDP Deflator came in at 1.8%, significantly below the expected 2.8%.
When it appears we have less inflation, then output looks greater. The deflator has not been below 2% since Q2 2003. In case you were wondering, the deflator is not ex-energy....
For the key series shown in this table, actual data for the third month of the quarter usually are not available in time for inclusion in the advance GDP estimate. BEA makes assumptions for the source data that are not yet available; assumptions for September 2006 are shown in the last column of the table. For most series shown, the data for August are preliminary and subject to further revision. Occasionally, the data for earlier months are also subject to revision."
This assumptions/estimates is what typically happens for the first GDP release (remember, the number will get reported 3 times: this Advance GDP, Prelim, and then Final). What this could mean is that by the time the subsequent revisions are completed , we could be showing zero growth.
That's right, 0% GDP is in the range of possible Q3 outcomes (I suspect we will be in 0.5%-1% range)
[url=http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2006/10/gdp_01.html
]The Big Picture: Actual GDP[/url]
Expect 3rd quarter GDP growth to be downwardly revised, given that September numbers were essentially "estimates." (And conveniently optimistic ones at that, with an election less than 2 weeks away.)
]The Big Picture: Actual GDP[/url] regarding the still unbelievable 3rd quarter GDP growth of 1.6%. The author points out the lower-than-expected GDP deflator (1.8% instead of the predicted 2.8%) as well as the "surprise" increase in auto sales of 26%.
Actual GDP: ~0%
Don't pay attention to the statistically aberrant GDP number reported Friday
Don't pay attention to the statistically aberrant GDP number reported Friday.
Its actually much worse.
Thanks to a "statistical fluke," GDP was actually less than 1%:
"Last quarter's annualized 26 percent increase in auto production shocked Joe Carson, now director of economic research at AllianceBernstein LP in New York. Without the gain, the economy would have grown at an annual rate of 0.9 percent, not the 1.6 percent the Commerce Department reported today.
The increase in output came despite cutbacks announced by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and others. A drop in the wholesale price of SUVs and light trucks as the automakers cleared leftover 2006 models made production look stronger than it actually was, said Carson. The economic fallout from the auto-industry cutbacks will instead come this quarter, he said."
What brought this aberrational data point about? The number crunchers in the Commerce Department rely on wholesale prices for light trucks. The 5.5% decrease in SUVs had the effect of making output look stronger -- but only when adjusted for inflation. In reality, these were firesales to move product off the lot.
Consider this related tidbit: AutoNation, the largest dealership and sellers of new cars in the country, said it expects to cut 2007 purchases from the big 3 by 30%.
And its not just cars: WalMart reported its weakest monthly sales gains since December 2000 -- despite the 30 decrease in gasoline prices since the summer. In the US, Sales rose just 0.5% -- significantly below the 2-to-4% improvement originally forecast for October.
Bottom line: If we have to torture the data to get to just 1.6% GDP, imagine what is actually going on in the economy.
This is the primary reason we have "obsessed" so much on Real Estate. Without the massive contribution of residential housing to the overall economy -- from job creation to transactional business to MEW -- there simply is not a whole lot of growth to be found elsewhere.
Other noteworthy items in the Q3 GDP report: There was an unexpectedly large accumulation of inventories. This implies manufacturing output will slow further in Q4, as manufacturers trim production this quarter to reduce the increased inventory build up.
Also of note:
The GDP Deflator came in at 1.8%, significantly below the expected 2.8%.
When it appears we have less inflation, then output looks greater. The deflator has not been below 2% since Q2 2003. In case you were wondering, the deflator is not ex-energy....
For the key series shown in this table, actual data for the third month of the quarter usually are not available in time for inclusion in the advance GDP estimate. BEA makes assumptions for the source data that are not yet available; assumptions for September 2006 are shown in the last column of the table. For most series shown, the data for August are preliminary and subject to further revision. Occasionally, the data for earlier months are also subject to revision."
This assumptions/estimates is what typically happens for the first GDP release (remember, the number will get reported 3 times: this Advance GDP, Prelim, and then Final). What this could mean is that by the time the subsequent revisions are completed , we could be showing zero growth.
That's right, 0% GDP is in the range of possible Q3 outcomes (I suspect we will be in 0.5%-1% range)
[url=http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2006/10/gdp_01.html
]The Big Picture: Actual GDP[/url]
Expect 3rd quarter GDP growth to be downwardly revised, given that September numbers were essentially "estimates." (And conveniently optimistic ones at that, with an election less than 2 weeks away.)