United States Growth Tracker
World Economics
12 January 2021
Speed Read
- US GDP expanded by an annualised 33.1% in Q3 2020 after a 31% contraction in Q2.
- Key indicators show economic activity remaining tepid in December.
- Consumer sentiment has continued to improve from early 2020 but remained considerably down on a year ago.
- Unemployment claims for December registered a fall of -6.1% year-on-year.
- December’s sale of passenger cars remained 14% below a year ago.
GDP Growth
Real GDP Growth 1961 - 2018
Since 1961, annual American real GDP growth has been following a falling trend year-on-year.

Quarterly Real GDP Growth Q1 2008 - Q3 2020 ($billion, 2009 chained)

Leading & Composite Indicators
OECD Composite Leading Indicator
The OECD Composite Leading Indicator® (CLI) is designed “to provide early signals of turning points between expansions and slowdowns of economic activity”. The components include: Dwellings started (number), Net new orders for durable goods, share prices: NYSE composite, consumer sentiment indicator, weekly hours of work: manufacturing, purchasing managers index, and the spread of interest rates.