U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Contracts in Fourth Quarter

What are you talking about? Juicing the numbers? They were fricken defense cuts. Do you bother to read what is going on or do you just make this crap up to suit your preconcieved notions?

no, I do not know...there is no way for a hurricane that hits a corner part of the country, to wipe out a supposed 3% GDP growth for the ENTIRE country and turn it into a -0.1% loss....Ike and Katrina did a lot more damage, but I dont recall a 3% point loss in GDP due to them.

GDP Comes Out Today, And It's Expected To Be The Weakest Number Since The First Quarter Of 2011

Gross domestic product probably expanded at a 1.1 percent annual rate, braking sharply from a 3.1 percent clip in the third quarter, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

Economists say a growth pace in excess of 3 percent would be needed over a sustained period to significantly lower high unemployment. Since the recession ended in mid-2009, the economy has struggled to hold above a 2 percent growth pace.

Stocks slip after GDP report

The U.S. economy shrank from October through December for the first time since the recession ended, hurt by the biggest cut in defense spending in 40 years, fewer exports and sluggish growth in company stockpiles, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

U.S. gross domestic product, the volume of all goods and services produced, contracted at an annual rate of 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter. That's a sharp slowdown from the 3.1 percent growth rate in the July-September quarter.

"We have a negative print on GDP. To ignore this is folly," said Doug Cote, chief market strategist at ING Investment Management. "Certainly, this market could continue to move forward but ignoring the fundamentals is not something I'd counsel my clients to do."

unemployment is down, spending is up and GDP is down?? But let's not worry about this.. we have guns and immigration to worry about..

Easy explanation: the article is not a troll.

In addition to military spending decline, Hurricane Sandy effects at work.

1947q2 5.6 -0.6
1947q3 7.0 -0.3
1947q4 17.1 6.2
1948q1 9.7 6.5
1948q2 11.1 7.5
1948q3 10.1 2.2
1948q4 1.9 0.6
1949q1 -7.3 -5.5
1949q2 -5.4 -1.4
1949q3 2.2 4.6
1949q4 -3.6 -3.7
1950q1 16.0 17.2
1950q2 14.3 12.7
1950q3 26.8 16.6
1950q4 16.0 7.2
1951q1 21.5 5.1
1951q2 9.6 6.8
1951q3 8.4 8.2
1951q4 5.2 0.7
1952q1 3.8 4.1
1952q2 1.1 0.4
1952q3 7.4 2.7
1952q4 15.1 13.9
1953q1 7.8 7.7
1953q2 3.9 3.1
1953q3 -0.9 -2.4
1953q4 -5.4 -6.2
1954q1 -0.7 -1.9
1954q2 0.8 0.5
1954q3 5.2 4.6
1954q4 9.4 8.3
1955q1 14.2 12.0
1955q2 8.5 6.8
1955q3 8.6 5.5
1955q4 6.4 2.2
1956q1 2.2 -1.8
1956q2 5.6 3.2
1956q3 4.7 -0.5
1956q4 8.3 6.7
1957q1 8.4 2.5
1957q2 1.8 -1.0
1957q3 6.4 3.9
1957q4 -4.1 -4.1
1958q1 -6.4 -10.4
1958q2 3.7 2.5
1958q3 12.5 9.7
1958q4 11.7 9.7
1959q1 8.9 8.3
1959q2 10.9 10.5
1959q3 0.7 -0.5
1959q4 3.1 1.4
1960q1 11.1 9.3
1960q2 -0.6 -1.9
1960q3 2.1 0.7
1960q4 -4.0 -5.0
1961q1 3.3 2.4
1961q2 8.7 7.7
1961q3 8.0 6.6
1961q4 9.9 8.4
1962q1 9.9 7.4
1962q2 5.1 4.5
1962q3 4.7 3.7
1962q4 2.3 1.0
1963q1 6.3 5.3
1963q2 5.9 5.1
1963q3 8.6 7.7
1963q4 6.2 3.1
1964q1 10.6 9.3
1964q2 5.8 4.7
1964q3 7.2 5.5
1964q4 3.1 1.1
1965q1 12.4 10.2
1965q2 7.4 5.5
1965q3 10.0 8.4
1965q4 12.9 10.0
1966q1 13.1 10.2
1966q2 4.8 1.3
1966q3 7.0 2.7
1966q4 7.1 3.3
1967q1 5.5 3.6
1967q2 2.2 0.1
1967q3 7.3 3.2
1967q4 7.7 3.1
1968q1 13.3 8.5
1968q2 11.5 7.0
1968q3 6.9 2.8
1968q4 7.6 1.7
1969q1 11.0 6.5
1969q2 6.5 1.2
1969q3 8.5 2.6
1969q4 3.3 -1.9
1970q1 5.1 -0.6
1970q2 6.4 0.7
1970q3 6.9 3.6
1970q4 0.8 -4.2
1971q1 18.4 11.5
1971q2 7.8 2.3
1971q3 7.5 3.2
1971q4 4.4 1.1
1972q1 14.2 7.3
1972q2 12.4 9.8
1972q3 8.0 3.9
1972q4 12.5 6.8
1973q1 16.0 10.6
1973q2 11.3 4.7
1973q3 5.7 -2.1
1973q4 12.4 3.9
1974q1 4.2 -3.5
1974q2 11.0 1.0
1974q3 8.0 -3.9
1974q4 10.7 -1.6
1975q1 4.4 -4.8
1975q2 9.4 3.1
1975q3 15.1 6.9
1975q4 13.0 5.3
1976q1 14.2 9.4
1976q2 7.5 3.0
1976q3 7.6 2.0
1976q4 10.6 2.9
1977q1 12.0 4.7
1977q2 14.5 8.2
1977q3 12.7 7.4
1977q4 9.0 -0.1
1978q1 7.4 1.4
1978q2 25.5 16.7
1978q3 11.1 4.0
1978q4 14.6 5.4
1979q1 8.1 0.7
1979q2 10.7 0.4
1979q3 12.1 2.9
1979q4 9.5 1.1
1980q1 10.1 1.3
1980q2 0.6 -7.9
1980q3 8.6 -0.7
1980q4 20.0 7.6
1981q1 20.0 8.6
1981q2 4.4 -3.2
1981q3 12.6 4.9
1981q4 2.2 -4.9
1982q1 -1.2 -6.4
1982q2 7.2 2.2
1982q3 4.2 -1.5
1982q4 4.7 0.3
1983q1 8.5 5.1
1983q2 12.5 9.3
1983q3 12.6 8.1
1983q4 11.8 8.5
1984q1 13.6 8.0
1984q2 10.8 7.1
1984q3 7.3 3.9
1984q4 6.0 3.3
1985q1 8.5 3.8
1985q2 5.8 3.4
1985q3 8.2 6.4
1985q4 5.8 3.1
1986q1 6.0 3.9
1986q2 3.8 1.6
1986q3 6.3 3.9
1986q4 4.7 1.9
1987q1 6.1 2.2
1987q2 6.7 4.3
1987q3 6.8 3.5
1987q4 10.3 7.0
1988q1 5.5 2.1
1988q2 9.2 5.2
1988q3 6.8 2.1
1988q4 8.7 5.5
1989q1 8.6 3.8
1989q2 7.1 3.0
1989q3 5.9 3.2
1989q4 3.6 0.9
1990q1 9.4 4.2
1990q2 6.4 1.6
1990q3 3.7 0.0
1990q4 -0.3 -3.5
1991q1 2.4 -1.9
1991q2 5.7 2.7
1991q3 4.9 1.7
1991q4 4.0 1.6
1992q1 6.6 4.5
1992q2 6.9 4.3
1992q3 6.1 4.2
1992q4 6.7 4.3
1993q1 3.2 0.7
1993q2 4.9 2.6
1993q3 4.0 2.1
1993q4 7.7 5.4
1994q1 6.2 4.0
1994q2 7.6 5.6
1994q3 5.1 2.6
1994q4 6.7 4.5
1995q1 3.3 1.0
1995q2 2.7 0.9
1995q3 5.4 3.4
1995q4 4.9 2.8
1996q1 5.2 2.8
1996q2 8.7 7.1
1996q3 4.8 3.5
1996q4 6.8 4.4
1997q1 5.8 3.1
1997q2 7.1 6.1
1997q3 6.6 5.1
1997q4 4.6 3.1
1998q1 4.5 3.8
1998q2 4.6 3.6
1998q3 7.0 5.4
1998q4 8.4 7.1
1999q1 5.5 3.6
1999q2 4.6 3.2
1999q3 6.8 5.2
1999q4 8.9 7.4
2000q1 4.3 1.1
2000q2 10.2 8.0
2000q3 2.8 0.3
2000q4 4.6 2.4
2001q1 1.4 -1.3
2001q2 5.5 2.7
2001q3 0.2 -1.1
2001q4 2.7 1.4
2002q1 4.9 3.5
2002q2 4.0 2.1
2002q3 3.8 2.0
2002q4 2.5 0.1
2003q1 4.5 1.7
2003q2 4.6 3.4
2003q3 9.1 6.7
2003q4 5.8 3.7
2004q1 6.3 2.7
2004q2 6.1 2.6
2004q3 6.0 3.0
2004q4 6.4 3.3
2005q1 8.1 4.2
2005q2 4.5 1.8
2005q3 7.5 3.2
2005q4 5.5 2.1
2006q1 8.3 5.1
2006q2 5.2 1.6
2006q3 3.1 0.1
2006q4 4.6 2.7
2007q1 5.2 0.5
2007q2 6.5 3.6
2007q3 4.3 3.0
2007q4 3.6 1.7
2008q1 0.6 -1.8
2008q2 4.0 1.3
2008q3 -0.6 -3.7
2008q4 -8.4 -8.9
2009q1 -4.4 -5.3
2009q2 -1.1 -0.3
2009q3 1.9 1.4
2009q4 5.3 4.0
2010q1 3.9 2.3
2010q2 4.1 2.2
2010q3 4.6 2.6
2010q4 4.5 2.4
2011q1 2.2 0.1
2011q2 5.2 2.5
2011q3 4.3 1.3
2011q4 4.2 4.1
2012q1 4.2 2.0
2012q2 2.8 1.3
2012q3 5.9 3.1
2012q4 0.5 -0.1

Nov 1948 – Oct 1949
July 1953l– May-1954
Aug 1957l– Apr-1958
Apr 1960l– Feb-1961
Dec 1969l– Nov-1970
Nov 1973l– Mar-1975
Jan 1980 –July 1980
July 1981l– Nov-1982
July 1990l– Mar-1991
March 2001–Nov 2001
Dec 2007 – June 2009

in blue the time GDP went negative from Q to Q



recessions in the U.S. since the Great Depression.



almost every instance of GDP growth going negative from Q to Q was during a recession. I had no clue decreased Military Spending and Hurricane Sandy where 2 of the biggest economic destroyers in almost a century.


btw.. Sandy doesn't even rank in the top 5 in the U.S. for deaths, economic disturbance, financial destruction etc..

feel free to argue directly with those numbers above though.. Maybe if you call them partisan enough they'll change..?

One thing changed of course. The Fiscal disaster known as Medicaid now costs twice as much.

Austerity and less government will fix this.

May as well try since it's two things we haven't tried yet. Well, we tried it right after WW2 when government spending was cut by huge amounts for three years straight and the country did just fine.

Time to harp on GDP numbers again...
"Look how great our GDP number is... oh sure, we had to steal $10 trillion dollars from our kids to get that number, but I'll let my kids worry about that."

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure....

You're mistaken. It's Republicans who argue that government numbers are "partisan."

What does "almost every instance of GDP growth going negative from Q to Q was during a recession" have to do with slightly negative 4thQ2012 GDP growth, anyway? What does that even mean? Consecutive Quarters of negative growth? We don't have that (yet).