Gdp

WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy expanded at its weakest pace in four years during the third quarter, government figures showed yesterday, while other indicators showed growth may be slowing further. Inflation was tamer than previously thought. Gross domestic product grew at a 2.2 percent annual rate from July through September, less than the previously estimated 2.4 percent growth rate, the Commerce Department said. Revisions to the earlier estimate reflected fewer exports and less business investment.

Development plan forces inequities on North, West Over the past four years, I have been involved with and followed the preparation of the county's General Development Plan (GDP) and the subsequent Small Area Plans (SAP). Throughout this process it has become very clear that the proposed development of the county is not equitable. The northern and western parts of the county are being required to take a much larger share of the development (residential and commercial) than the rest of the county.

The white-hot U.S. economy accelerated in the fourth quarter -- as did signs of inflation -- the government reported yesterday, heightening concerns the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates more than expected and sending stocks into a tailspin. Edward Hemmelgarn, who helps manage $1 billion for Shaker Investments in Cleveland, said three rate boosts were possible this year. "It's going to be tougher to make money in the stock market," he said. The gross domestic product, the worth of all goods and services produced in the United States, rose at an annual pace of 5.8 percent during the final quarter of 1999, exceeding estimates of 5.2 percent, and after a third quarter in which GDP grew at an annualized rate of 5.7 percent, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

Stocks took a beating yesterday after a Labor Department report showed that labor costs for businesses rose more than predicted in the second quarter.The report re-ignited fears that the Federal Reserve will boost interest rates again, maybe as soon as its next meeting, Aug. 24.A separate Commerce Department report, which at first blush seemed to show the U.S. economy was cooling, was nearly as troubling; under closer scrutiny, it became clear growth was virtually unchanged, economists said.

PRODUCTIVITY -- a measure of output per worker per hour -- increased an unexpectedly strong 4 percent in the first quarter, a good sign that inflation will remain tame. That's because when workers produce more goods and services per hour, it gives businesses a competitive edge and enables them to keep prices lower. It also lets firms raise wages without cutting into profits.What is responsible for the rise? New technology? Better worker training? Can it be sustained?David BersonVice president and chief economist, Fannie MaeTwo things are pushing productivity.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy expanded much faster than expected in the fourth quarter last year, amid signs that the effects of the economic crisis in Asia and other developing countries may be beginning to fade.The Commerce Department said yesterday that U.S. gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, grew by 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter, the strongest pace in more than two years.The fourth-quarter growth rate was up sharply from an unrevised 3.7 percent pace in the third quarter, and well above the 4.1 percent growth rate that most economists were expecting.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy grew faster than first estimated in the third quarter, fueled by a consumer spending surge and low inflation that are likely to make the current expansion the longest on record in peacetime, reports issued yesterday showed.The gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, rose at a 3.9 percent annual rate in the quarter, more than doubling the second-quarter pace of 1.8 percent, the Commerce Department said. A narrower-than-estimated trade deficit and stronger consumer spending on durable goods accounted for much of the upward revision from the initial estimate of a 3.3 percent gain in GDP for the quarter.

A BLACK, billowing cloud of recession is about to engulf the U.S. economy. The only questions are how long and how severe it will be.A recession starts when our gross domestic product begins to contract. GDP is calculated using four components -- consumption, investment, government spending and net exports (exports minus imports). Three of these are entering free fall.The problem started with the Asian crisis. Weaker Asian currencies have made U.S. exports less attractive and foreign imports more attractive, while recessions in Asia have greatly reduced the income of Asian consumers and hence their purchases of U.S. goods.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy, weighed down in the second quarter by a strike at General Motors Corp. and a slowdown in exports to Asia, still was able to grow at a faster pace than previously estimated.The gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, rose at a revised 1.6 percent annual rate in the second quarter, the Commerce Department said yesterday. That's higher than the initial GDP estimate of a 1.4 percent gain released July 31 -- though still a shadow of the first quarter's stellar 5.5 percent growth rate.

WITH Congress returning next week to forecasts of a $660 billion budget surplus in the next decade, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are talking tax cuts.House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer, a Texas Republican, wants to reduce the combined federal tax burden on individuals and businesses from 19.9 percent of the gross domestic product to 19 percent of GDP -- cuts that would cost $200 billion in lower revenue over a decade.House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat, plans to introduce a tax restructuring plan that would have most people paying a 10 percent rate.