The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis today released the advance estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2012. Real GDP grew 1.5 percent at an annual rate in the second quarter, consistent with private sector expectations.

WASHINGTON - The Commerce Department's U.S. Census Bureau today released June 2012 data on new residential construction. Housing starts in June 2012 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 760,000, up 6.9 percent from May’s revised estimate and up 23.6 percent from June 2011. Starts of multifamily structures increased 12.8%, and single-family starts rose 4.7%. Building permits for the month were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 755,000, down 3.7 percent from the revised May rate but up 19.3 percent from one year earlier. 

WASHINGTON – The Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau today released new residential construction data for May 2012. Permits for new housing units climbed 7.9 percent from April. Housing starts were down 4.8 percent from April but up 28.5 percent from May 2011. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson issued the following statement today on the release of the April 2012 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis. U.S. goods and services exports in April 2012 were down 0.8 percent from March 2012 to reach $182.9 billion. 

U.S. goods and services exports year-to-date through the first four months of 2012 were up 6.0 percent or $41.4 billion from the same period of 2011 to reach $725.8 billion. 

U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson issued the following statement today on the release of the February 2012 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report (PDF) by the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis. U.S. goods and services exports in February 2012 were up 0.1 percent from January 2012 to reach a record $181.2 billion. In addition, record highs were seen in U.S. exports of total services ($53.2 billion), and capital goods exports ($43.2 billion).