New orders for manufactured durable goods in August 2012 decreased 13.2 percent to $198.5 billion. Excluding transportation, new orders fell 1.6 percent. Overall shipments fell 3.0 percent. Capital goods shipments declined 1.7 percent. Unfilled orders fell 1.7 percent. And inventories grew 0.6 percent in August.
Real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 1.3 percent in the second quarter of 2012, according to today’s third estimate. This follows a growth rate of 2.0 percent in the first quarter of 2012.
The U.S. current account deficit decreased to $117.4 billion or 3.0 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2012, down from $133.6 billion (revised) or 3.5 percent of GDP in the first quarter of 2012.
The July 2012 international trade deficit increased 0.2 percent from June, to $42.0 billion. Exports fell 1.0 percent, to $183.3 billion, and imports declined 0.8 percent, to $225.3 billion.
Construction spending in July 2012 was $834.4 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, down 0.9 percent from the revised June 2012 estimate but up 9.3 percent from July 2011.
