US GDP
How fast the US economy grew last quarter.
The basics
Gross domestic product is the value of everything the country produced. Its growth rate is the broadest measure of how the economy is doing.
US figures are “annualised”: 2% means the economy would grow 2% in a year if it kept that pace for four quarters.
How to read the result
- Above the forecast
- Growth above the forecast often lifts the US dollar and can support shares.
- Below the forecast
- Growth below the forecast often weakens the US dollar.
Going deeper
The advance estimate moves markets most; later estimates revise it. Inventories and trade swing the headline; final sales to private domestic buyers show underlying demand.
FAQs
- Why can the price move the “wrong” way?
- Prices already reflect the forecast, so markets react to the surprise, not the number itself. Other parts of the same release, revisions to earlier months or other news in the same hour can outweigh the headline figure, and a first move often reverses within the hour.
- Should I close my trade before the release?
- That is your decision; this page does not give advice. What is certain is that prices can jump in seconds around big releases, spreads widen, and a stop loss can close at a worse price than the one you set. Many traders check their position size and stop before the release.