Is GDP something we should keep up with?

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Obama says the Private sector is doing fine.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Pethokoukis

JPMorgan just gave a calamitous economic forecast for Obama

James Pethokoukis | July 16, 2012, 2:34 pm

Just out from JPMorgan:

This morning we lowered our tracking of Q2 GDP growth from 1.7% to 1.4%. For some time now we have noted that our Q3 GDP call — which was already below consensus at 2.0% — had risks that were skewed to the downside.

After the latest round of data we have decided to lower our projection for Q3 to 1.5%.

The strength in inventories reported this morning suggests that businesses may have got caught offsides when final demand weakened this past spring. That inventory build should weigh on production growth in the third quarter as already-cautious businesses seek to work down stockpiles. Added to this downside, the weakness in June real consumer spending will make the arithmetic for Q3 consumption a little more challenging.

Finally, the decline in gasoline prices — which had been seen as an important support to the economy — has partly reversed itself in recent weeks, thereby lessening the impetus to growth from that source.

For 2012 as a whole, we are now looking for growth of around 1.7% on a Q4/Q4 basis, about the same as last year and 0.2%-point below our tracking last week.

On a year-ago basis real GDP has been growing at a below-trend pace since early last year. If our forecast is anywhere near correct, that pattern will persist for at least another year, and perhaps even longer.

Basically, this is a forecast for stagnation for the rest of this year and through 2013. Also note that the forecast sees monthly job growth at just 100,000 a month in the third quarter, with the unemployment rate averaging 8.2%.

The worst recovery since the Great Depression shows no signs of improving, and Team Obama should expect no last-minute lift from it.

http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/07/jpmorgan-just-gave-a-calamitous-economic-forecast-for-obama/

To reiterate:

Q2 – 1.4% growth.

Q3 – 1.5% growth

Q4 – 1.7% growth

For the year, under 2.0%.

I'm hoping for change.