The U.S. economy grew at a lackluster 1.3% annual rate from January through March as businesses wary of an economic slowdown trimmed their inventories, the government said Thursday, a slight upgrade from its initial estimate.
The government had previously estimated that the economy grew at a 1.1% annual rate last quarter.
The Commerce Department's revised measure of growth in the nation's gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services — marked a deceleration from the second half of 2022.
Despite the first-quarter slowdown, consumer spending, which accounts for around 70% of America's economic output, rose at a healthy pace.
The steady weakening of economic growth is a consequence of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive drive to tame inflation, with 10 interest rate hikes over the past 14 months. Across the economy, the Fed’s rate increase have elevated the costs of auto loans, credit card borrowing and business loans.
With mortgage rates having doubled over the past year, the real estate market has already taken a beating: Investment in housing fell from January through March. In April, sales of existing homes were 23% below their level a year earlier.
The federal government says it will begin a targeted crackdown on nursing homes’ abuse of antipsychotic drugs and misdiagnoses of schizophrenia in patients.
Spotify became the latest tech company to call on the European Union to take action against Apple over anti-competitive practices.
Mortgage demand continues to increase as rates dip while homebuilder sentiment is also on the rise.
Amazon has begun cutting about 18,000 workers this week, affecting largely Amazon stores and some in the technology unit.
Microsoft is laying off 10,000 employees, becoming the latest tech giant to cut its workforce.
Darren Jones, President, UPS Central Plains, joins Cheddar News to discuss UPS's first-ever jobs and opportunity report while offering advice to job-seekers amid widespread layoffs and economic uncertainty.
Clare Trapasso, the executive news editor at Realtor.com, joined Cheddar News to discuss the current housing market for first-time homebuyers.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the U.S. will reach its $31.4 trillion borrowing cap on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called out ExxonMobil for withholding highly accurate predictions about the impact of climate change.
