The U.S. economy has been through a washing machine-like scenario over the past few years, but the second quarter of 2023 has provided hope as we experienced a more-than-expected 2.4% GDP growth. Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing recovery from the COVID-era pandemic and other economic perils, the nation’s economy has shown resilience, making significant strides toward stability and growth.

In the second quarter of 2023, a semi-robust economic rebound from the setbacks experienced in the previous years can be attributed to various factors, including increased consumer spending, business investments, and government stimulus packages (which need to be watched closely) as the country continued to reopen, post COVID-19 era, consumers regained confidence and spent more of their hard-earned money, boosting economic activity across various sectors.

The increase in consumer spending played a vital role in driving the economic rebound despite the current administration’s apparent lack of understanding of how our economic engine thrives. Americans were eager to engage in activities they had set aside during the COVID-19 era.

The demand for a return to normalcy by independent Americans led to a wave of pleasure spending such as leisure, travel, and hospitality, stimulating those industries that had been cast aside during the unconstitutional mandatory lockdowns. As a result, businesses in these sectors slowly started to re-hire non-vaccinated employees back into the workforce and invested in expansion, contributing to GDP growth.

Corporate America was forced to adjust and showed great resilience during the pandemic, adapting to a required remote work environment. This remote work environment has created an issue that I will address in a future blog, the overwhelming availability of commercial office space and what strategies are surfacing to replace the lost revenue created by the new remote work reality.
The accelerating digital transformation from this new remote work reality has helped the second quarter GDP growth of 2023 as we saw businesses increasing investments in technology and infrastructure to support this growing trend.

Positioning themselves as leaders in this specific category moving forward. These investments not only drove productivity but also facilitated job creation and contributed to the broader economic recovery.

The slow and steady resurgence of global trade contributed to GDP growth as well, as international markets reopened, and demand increased.
U.S. exports experienced a rebound, benefitting various industries, including manufacturing and agriculture. The increase in exports further fueled economic activity, generating more jobs and income within the U.S. and globally.

Despite this economic rebound, the second quarter of 2023 did experience challenges that have not been addressed by the current administration in the White House. One of these significant concerns is the surging inflation rate, as demand outpaced supply in almost all sectors.

Supply chain disruptions plagued a majority of U.S. industries. The COVID-19 era induced disruptions and exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains, leading to delays and shortages.
Addressing these supply chain issues remains crucial to sustaining economic momentum moving forward.

Fuel, food, and housing prices rose steadily impacting consumer purchasing power. The shutdown of U.S. oil production and the Nord Stream pipeline being eliminated along with food production in the U.S. severely handicapped federally is a direct cause in my opinion.

The Federal Reserve has the responsibility of managing inflation without smothering economic growth which is why the FED announced another 25-basis point increase this past Wednesday.
As our nation moves forward, policymakers, and businesses, must work collaboratively to build on this growth and create a more sustainable and resilient economy for American citizens.
By building on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 era, and prioritizing economic stability, the U.S. can continue its journey toward prosperity and well-being for all its citizens.

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Gustan Cho Associates News | Dustin Dumestre Friday Mortgage Minutes NEWS For July 28th, 2023