U.S. Economy and GDP continue steady growth

By Chris Rysz, Editor-in-Chief

Throughout an eventful Trump presidency, it’s still evident that the U.S. economy is continuing to succeed, following the release of first quarter GDP numbers and the April jobs report.

The amount of jobs added in April, once again exceeded expectations as the U.S. gained 263,000 jobs compared to an expected 195,000, according to CNBC. Also, the unemployment rate ticked down to a historic number: 3.6 percent, a 50 year record last held in Dec. of 1969.

“Leaving aside month-to-month fluctuations, the labor market is still very strong, adding almost double the number of workers needed to keep pace with new entrants to the labor force in any given month,” said Eric Winograd, a senior economist.

After a solid 2018 year in terms of GDP growth, the first quarter of 2019 shows no signs of slowing down. GDP or gross domestic product growth is a representation of the economic activity occurring in a country. According to CNBC, United States’ first quarter economic growth remains strong, as the rate rose up to 3.5 percent, rather than the 2.5 percent that was expected of the U.S.

2019 was the first year that the U.S. has seen first quarter growth topping 3 percent since 2015. The GDP numbers were helped by an increase in personal spending and U.S. exports outnumbering imports.