GDP, Gross Domestic Product

GDP is the best snapshot of the US economy.  It is a measure of the size of the economy by the total value of all the US goods and services.  The optimal increase in Gross Domestic Product is between 2 and 2.5%.  This mimics the Fed’s inflation targets.  If the GDP over shoots the 2-2.5% then inflation is a concern, and falling short means the economy is frail.  The data is put out on a quarterly and it cannot be broken into regions.  It is not as timely as other reports for inflation measurements.  The GDP has a MODEST effect on the mortgage rates.  Gross Domestic Product is available at 7:30 [central] quarterly.