Chart of the Day: GDP Growth Ends 2019 on Ho-Hum Note

In the final quarter of 2019, real GDP grew 2.1 percent:

This is OK. It’s not great, but it’s OK, especially in the 128th month of an economic expansion. The fourth quarter results mean that we ended the year with annual growth of 2.3 percent:

Again, this is an OK number, but nothing to write home about. US economic growth has been remarkably steady since the end of the Great Recession, never breaking out of a range of 1.5-3.0 percent.

And for you political types who demand to know what this means for the election, it probably means nothing. Economic growth is good enough that it doesn’t provide Donald Trump with any big problems, but it’s low enough that he’s still vulnerable. Altogether, economic growth is probably a wash for the 2020 campaign.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate