Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Economic Watch: GDP Performance Unchanged; Durable Goods Rebound

The widest measure of the nation’s economy performed as first estimated in the final quarter of last year despite a jump in consumer spending, according to a new assessment released Tuesday. Meanwhile, orders for long-lasting durable goods rebounded somewhat in January.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
February 28, 2017
Economic Watch: GDP Performance Unchanged; Durable Goods Rebound

 

3 min to read


The widest measure of the nation’s economy performed as first estimated in the final quarter of last year despite a jump in consumer spending, according to a new assessment released Tuesday. Meanwhile,orders for long-lasting durable goods rebounded somewhat in January.

The U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) increased at a rate of 1.9% in the final three months of 2016, according to the second of three estimates from the Commerce Department, the same rate as the reading from a month earlier. This latest reading is a little below what Wall Street analysts were expecting and compares to a rate of 3.5% in the third quarter of 2016.

Ad Loading...

According to MarketWatch, GDP was held down by the U.S. trade deficit even as “consumer spending rebounded strongly,” up 3% versus the earlier estimate of 2.5%, which it said should bode well for the overall economy in the coming months as household spending accounts for up to 70% of all economic activity. In contrast, the rise in the trade deficit cut total GDP growth in half and was also was offset by weaker government spending and business fixed investment.

“The upward revision to consumer spending indicates strong momentum in the household sector toward the end of the year, but a more modest increase in business investment is somewhat discouraging, leaving less evidence of rebalancing in domestic growth toward the end of last year,” said Josh Nye, economist at RBC Economics Research. “While the latter trend is less positive than previously estimated, we continue to expect nonresidential investment will pick up modestly this year alongside improving business sentiment, supplementing another strong contribution to growth from consumer spending.”

Durable Good Orders Improve, Capital Spending Falls

This follows a separate report from the Commerce Department on Monday showing new orders for durable goods in January increased 1.8% from the month before following two consecutive monthly declines.

Ad Loading...

The hike was driven by a 6% jump in new transportation orders and was slightly better than a consensus estimate from analysts. Excluding transportation new orders in January fell 0.2% from December but overall orders increased 1.4% from a year earlier.

Shipments of durable goods, didn’t do as well, falling 0.1% following two straightly monthly gains but gained 3.6% from the same time a year earlier.

Inside the report, a measure of business investment, new orders for non-military capital goods minus aircraft, slipped 0.4% in January, the first decline since September, and follows an upwardly revised 1.1% gain in December.

The report shows business investment remains tepid at best, according to Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel Fixed Income.

“At this point, a good portion of the gain, however, is buoyed by confidence in better conditions ahead, resulting from a pro-growth agenda out of Washington focused on removing the barriers to businesses and jumpstarting economic growth,” she said.  

Ad Loading...

Piegza cautioned that political promises, however, will need to turn into reality to sustain and further propel this type of activity.

“We remain cautiously optimistic as there are limitations to what the president can do, but even minimal improvement from an otherwise declining trend established over the past near-decade is a large step in the right direction,” she said.

More Fleet Management

Illustration of a chalkboard with a hand drawing an arrow curving away from a partially erased straight arrow with the words "Embracing Change," the Heavy Duty Trucking Logo and the "cover feature" graphic.
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeAugust 1, 2026

How Innovative Trucking Leaders Turn Change Into an Advantage

As the pace of change accelerates in trucking, the fleets that adapt best have more than the latest technology. They have cultures that embrace improvement.

Read More →
Illustration of past due invoices with red X on top with background of a truck at a loading dock
Fleet ManagementJuly 27, 2026

Freight Broker Bonds Just Got Harder to Get. Here's What That Means for Your Fleet.

When it gets harder for a freight broker to prove they are financially sound, the ones who cannot clear that bar get pushed out of the market. And those are exactly the brokers who used to leave motor carriers holding the bag.

Read More →
Photo of cable bridge crossing Detroit River
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeJuly 23, 2026

Long-Awaited Canadian Border Bridge to Open in Detroit

For trucking, the bridge opening should offer immediate improvements in efficiency and reliability, with new customs facilities, expanded inspection capacity, and direct freeway-to-freeway connections.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Blue International heavy-duty truck with Aurora driverless truck software coming head-on on an interstate highway
Equipmentby Deborah LockridgeJuly 22, 2026

Aurora Rolls Out Next Generation of Driverless Trucks for Commercial Freight

Aurora's latest autonomous trucks it's rolling out with International feature lower-cost hardware designed for a million miles as the company expands commercial driverless freight operations across the U.S. Sun Belt.

Read More →
American Trucking Associations for-hire tonnage graph
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeJuly 21, 2026

Freight Tonnage Down, Rates up, as Lower Capacity Powers Trucking Recovery

The recovery from the freight recession continues to be driven by reduction in capacity rather than by increased demand.

Read More →
Cyberstop column header depicting images of ChatGPT prompt on a smartphone and shadowy hooded figure
Fleet Managementby Ben WilkensJuly 17, 2026

Think Your Trucking Fleet Isn't Using Much AI? Think Again

Shadow AI — the use of unauthorized artificial intelligence tools at work — is becoming increasingly common, putting sensitive company data at risk. Learn how trucking fleets can protect sensitive data while embracing AI.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of semi trucks with Panther, ArcBest, and ABF trailers backed up to docks, with ArcBest logo superimposed on top
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeJuly 17, 2026

ArcBest Consolidates Brands, Cuts Workforce

The company will bring three business units under the ArcBest brand, eliminate about 2% of positions, and expects the changes to generate $40 million in annual savings.

Read More →
Cover of ATRI operational costs study with graph clip art and photo of trucks on highway in the background
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeJuly 15, 2026

Trucking Fleets Faced Record Operating Costs During Third Year of Freight Recession

ATRI's annual operational cost report shows carriers trimmed fleets, delayed equipment purchases, and ran older trucks as expenses continued to outpace freight rates.

Read More →
Micheline AI Assistant.

Michelin Adds AI Assistant to MyConnectedFleet Platform

Michelin’s new generative AI tool delivers instant fleet insights, helping managers analyze fuel use, tire maintenance, vehicle status, and operational performance without manually creating reports.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
LytxOne Platform.

LytxOne Platform Now Features AI, Compliance, and Asset Tracking Tools

New enhancements add AI-powered insights, asset tracking, compliance automation, and configurable privacy controls to Lytx's all-in-one fleet management platform.

Read More →