The BEA Wire | BEA's Official Blog

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in August 2018 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $50.0 billion in July (revised) to $53.2 billion in August, as exports decreased and imports increased.

State personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased on average 4.3 percent in 2017, an acceleration from the 3.8 percent increase in 2016. The percent change in PCE across all states ranged from 6.9 percent in Idaho to 2.0 percent in North Dakota.

Personal income increased 0.3 percent in August, the same increase as in July. Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income, increased 0.5 percent in August after increasing 0.3 percent in July.

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018, according to the “third” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The growth rate was unchanged from the “second” estimate released in August.

The U.S. net international investment position decreased to −$8,638.5 billion (preliminary) at the end of the second quarter of 2018 from −$7,747.3 billion (revised) at the end of the first quarter.

State personal income increased 4.2 percent, at an annual rate, in the second quarter of 2018, a deceleration from the 5.0 percent increase in the first quarter. The percent change in personal income across all states ranged from 6.0 percent in Texas to 1.6 percent in Washington.

The outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.2 percent of current-dollar GDP in 2016, or $412 billion, updated statistics from the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account show. In data produced for the first time, using inflation-adjusted GDP, the outdoor recreation economy grew 1.7 percent in 201

The U.S. current-account deficit decreased to $101.5 billion (preliminary) in the second quarter of 2018 from $121.7 billion (revised) in the first quarter of 2018. As a percentage of U.S. GDP, the deficit decreased to 2.0 percent from 2.4 percent.

BEA’s first-ever measurement of the economic power of outdoor recreation, released in February, found that the industry’s contribution to the U.S. economy in 2016 was bigger than other industries like legal services or publishing.

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in July 2018 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $45.7 billion in June (revised) to $50.1 billion in July, as exports decreased and imports increased.

Personal income increased 0.3 percent in July after increasing 0.4 percent in June. Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income,increased 0.4 percent in July, the same increase as in June.