Showing posts with label quarter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quarter. Show all posts

Sunday, August 19

Growth rate of the U.S. economy slowed in the second quarter

By NBC News staff and wire reports
The US economy grew up to the slowest pace in nearly a year between April and June as consumers and businesses concerned about jobs, wages, Washington and Europe died from a raft.

The Commerce Department reported that gross domestic product expanded pace from January in the second quarter, after rising to a 2.0 percent revised upwards to March at an annual rate of 1.5 percent. Output for the fourth quarter increased by 3.0 per cent to 4.1 per cent.

The growth rate in the second quarter, the expectations of economists was, was the slowest since the third quarter of 2011. It solves a major hurdle for President Barack Obama like him for reelection in November against the Republican challenger Mitt Romney battles. With only a few months until the election left voters already form strong opinions about the economy, may be hard to shake that before they get in the voting booth.

"The economy fights to keep level", said Robert dye, Chief Economist at Comerica in Dallas.

Consumers spent at the lowest speed in a year when they again reduced, purchase helped car, economic growth in the previous two quarters.

Shoppers are spending in an economy, which is not yet fully by the financial crisis and the recession late 2007 to mid-2009 with the nation, unemployment rate of 8.2% has recovered. This reluctance reflected in each of the last three months in the retail sales, closed. Also wages stagnate since years undermines the willingness of consumers to spend.

The economy needs a growth rate of at least 2.0 to 2.5, which prices stable, let % only to employment than whittling down to keep it.

The weak growth report, characterised by weak data of employment to manufacturing, can expectations in a third round of bond purchases, known as quantitative easing by the Fed raise.

The Fed has injected already $2.30 trillion into the economy through asset purchases and overnight interest rates close to zero, leaving some economists worry to make that the Fed left not enough applications, has his Kit.

No major political announcement is expected at the Fed next week, but many economists now say two-day meeting could move the Central Bank if policy makers on September 12-13.

Last month the Fed extended a program to the bonds re-weight, which already holds it in the direction of the longer dated borrowing costs.

The economy was by ensure deep Government spending cuts and tax increases, the expected early 2013 kick in hit, as well as problems of the debt crisis in Europe.

The biggest factor that is at rest with a weight of fear that politicians in Washington not in the position, is to avoid the so-called tax cliffs at the turn of the year, said economists.

Current economic data suggest to limited area for growth in the third quarter again on its feet.

Wall Street and Washington Watch consumer spending closely because it accounts for more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy. Structures.

Reuters contributed to this report.

CNBC Rick Santelli breaks the latest economic data on the gross domestic product of the country, with Joel Naroff, President of Naroff Economic Advisors.

Thursday, August 16

Facebook posts loss in first quarter result report

Facebook posts loss in first quarter result report

Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is focused on mobile, social show and the network development platform.

At 7 am ET updated: Facebook a loss reported Thursday in its first quarterly report as a joint-stock company, but sales rose from 32 per cent on the previous year levels to nearly $1.20 billion.

The results were about analyst expectations but Facebook shares (FB), already under severe pressure, decreased after release the result.

In a conference call with analysts, which was broadcast over the Internet, Facebook executives led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that they have worked hard to create new "social" advertising that the company make money the growing percentage of its users, to come to the service through mobile devices.

"An enormous opportunity for Facebook is mobile," said Zuckerberg.

"Our goal is everyone in the world," he said, adding that most people in the world will soon have a mobile device, so it makes sense to improve the mobile Facebook experience.

COO Sheryl Sandberg said the company has experimented with "sponsored stories" to pay the advertisers like Wal-Mart, to be sure, enable more users to display a particular piece of content in their news feed. She said that makes it possible to avoid the problem Facebook many media companies making money a hard time have the strategy with the small screen of mobile devices.

"Sponsored stories in the news are the cornerstone of our mobile advertising efforts", she said.

Zuckerberg said Facebook's opportunity to a platform for other developers build greater than generally understood.

He sketched out a future in which a new car buyers the car log on computer and immediately have access to contacts, music, restaurant, listings and the recommendation of friends would.

The social networking giant released a net loss of $157 million, or 8 cents per share, primarily by expenses in connection with its May 17 public offering. Without that of Facebook said that it earned 12 cents per share in line with Wall Street expectations.

Excluding share-based compensation and related personnel expenses tax said Facebook $515 million operating profit in the second quarter, compared with $477 million in the second quarter of 2011.

In the press release to Zuckerberg said that the company focused on "Mobile, platform and social show."

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield said that investors were concerned that Facebook does not offer any evidence for his income going forward.

"Growth clearly slows down based on the user and revenue and without any commentary that people believe it is growing, have a large part of the investor fear," said he.

Facebook shares, which to regain even their $38 price fell $2.50 $26.84 before earnings were released, and by a further 10 percent in after-hours trading. Prior to the release Zynga, which accounts for more than 10 percent of sales of Facebook's Facebook were made due to the poor performance of result of of gaming company shares.

Michael Matousek, a senior trader at U.S. Global Investors Inc., Facebook said beating expectations, "but was the road looking for more."

"The big question which was how, it will earn its users billions or money," he said. "A lot people think you can convert these users not in money."

Facebook said that it had 955 million monthly active users, from 901 million users at the end of March. 84 Percent of its revenue or $992 million, generated from advertising.

The company has approximately 4,000 employees on the 30 June, up from 3,200 at the end of the year, a number that large user base was described as relatively Facebook's small.

Facebook was a massively hyped IPO, which widely as a failure, both due to technical mishaps and because the price of underwriters set could not keep, leaving legions of new, unfortunate investors.

CNBC's Julia Boorstin takes a look at Facebook's reported earnings in the last quarter.

Saturday, May 12

US economic growth slows in the first quarter

Chris Keane / Reuters

Helping out the economy. Government data showed the U.S. economy slowed in the first quarter, but consumer spending helped soften the blow.

By msnbc.com staff and news wires
The U.S. economy grew at a slower pace in the first quarter of 2012, increasing concerns about the health of the recovery. The blow was softened by a rise in consumer spending, however.

The Commerce Department, in its initial reading of how the economy fared as the new year began, reported Friday that gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the first three months of the year. That's down from a 3.0 percent rate in the fourth quarter and below economists' expectations of a 2.5 percent pace.

A surge in consumer spending took some of the sting from the report. Growth was still stronger than analysts' predictions early in the quarter for an expansion below 1.5 percent.

"Certainly a bit of a mixed picture, a disappointment on the headline coming in at 2.2 versus expectations of 2.5. Personal consumption was positive. But overall weaker-than-expected GDP," said Camilla Sutton, chief currency strategist at Scotia Capital.

Although the details were mixed, the GDP report offered a somewhat better picture of growth compared with the fourth quarter, when inventory building accounted for nearly two thirds of the economy's growth. In the first quarter, demand from consumers took up the slack.

Consumer spending which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, increased at a 2.9 percent rate - the fastest pace since the fourth quarter of 2010. That compared to a 2.1 percent rise in the fourth quarter.

There were some signs of underlying strength, with even home construction rising at its fastest pace since the second quarter of 2010, thanks to the unusually warm winter.

But business spending fell for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2009, with investment in equipment and software rising at its slowest pace since the recession ended.

Business spending fell at a 2.1 percent pace after rising 5.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

The report will probably not change views on monetary policy. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday expressed comfort with the current stance of Fed policy, but held out the prospect of more bond buying if the economy deteriorated.

Americans stepped up spending on automobiles in the first quarter, with motor vehicle sales rising by the most in four years. Part of that reflected pent-up demand after last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan disrupted supplies and left showrooms bereft of popular models.

And encouraged by a spurt in job growth, some households may have replaced older vehicles after tightening their belts during the 2007-09 recession. Motor vehicle output contributed 1.12 percentage points to first-quarter GDP growth.

But with the labor market showing early signs of fatigue after employment growth averaged 246,000 per month between December and February, consumer spending could soften in the second quarter.

Some gauges of regional factory activity eased as the second quarter started, and consumer confidence ebbed. In addition, first-time applications for unemployment benefits have spiked in recent weeks, although many economists pin the rise on seasonal quirks.

While the unseasonably warm weather helped the economy by boosting home building and renovations, it undercut demand for utilities, spending at ski resorts and sales of winter apparel.

As a result, weather was probably not the biggest contributor to growth during the quarter.

Inventories also helped GDP growth, just not as much as in the fourth quarter. Inventories increased $69.5 billion after rising $52.2 billion in the fourth quarter.

The change in inventories contributed just over half a percentage point to GDP growth compared to 1.81 percentage points in the fourth quarter.

Excluding inventories, GDP is rose at a 1.6 percent rate. In the fourth quarter, the comparable figure was just 1.1 percent.

Elsewhere, growth in the first quarter was held back by a another drop in government defense spending, which confounded expectations for a strong rebound. An increase in exports was offset by a rise imports, causing trade to have virtually no impact on growth.

Are you feeling optimistic, or not, about the economy. Let us know on Facebook.

Reuters contributed to this report.

CNBC's Rick Santelli and Steve Liesman break down the first quarter's GDP results and discuss its impact on the markets and what it indicates about the health of the U.S. economic recovery.


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