Real GDP increased 4.1% at an annualized rate in the fourth quarter of 2020 (the BEA released a revision to the data after PNC prepared the February forecast). While this was much smaller than the 33% increase in the third quarter, it was still solid. Even so, the U.S. economy at the end of 2020 was 2.4% smaller than it was in the fourth quarter of 2019, the last full quarter before the pandemic.
There is still a lot of lost ground to make up, even after very good growth in the second half of 2020. Consumer spending, business investment, housing and inventories all made big contributions to fourth quarter growth. Trade was a drag, however, as imports rose much more than exports.
There was net U.S. job growth of 49,000 in January, according to a survey of employers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost matching the consensus expectation of 50,000.
Employment in January was still about 10 million below its February peak; at this pace it would take decades for employment to return to its pre-recession level.
Retail sales jumped 5.3% in January from December, following a 1.0% decline the previous month (revised from a 0.7% decline). This was the first increase in retail sales since September, and the largest increase in sales since June.
Retail sales excluding autos were up 5.9% over the month, and sales excluding autos and gasoline were up 6.1%. Control sales—retail sales excluding food service, autos, gasoline, and building materials, and which go into consumer spending in GDP—were up 6.1% in January.
February National Economic Outlook
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