US ECONOMICS
BEA. February 28, 2017. Gross Domestic Product, 4th quarter and annual 2016 (second estimate)
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 1.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 (table 1), according to the "second" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.5 percent.
The GDP estimate released today is based on more complete source data than were available for the
"advance" estimate issued last month. In the advance estimate, the increase in real GDP was also 1.9
percent. With the second estimate for the fourth quarter, the general picture of economic growth
remains the same; the increase in personal consumption expenditures was larger and increases in state
and local government spending and in nonresidential fixed investment were smaller than previously
estimated (see "Updates to GDP" on page 2).

The increase in real GDP in the fourth quarter reflected positive contributions from personal
consumption expenditures (PCE), private inventory investment, residential fixed investment,
nonresidential fixed investment, and state and local government spending. These increases were partly offset by negative contributions from exports and federal government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased (table 2).
The deceleration in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected a downturn in exports, an
acceleration in imports, and a downturn in federal government spending that were partly offset by an
upturn in residential fixed investment, an acceleration in private inventory investment, and an upturn in state and local government spending.
Current-dollar GDP increased 3.9 percent, or $180.2 billion, in the fourth quarter to a level of $18,855.5 billion. In the third quarter, current-dollar GDP increased 5.0 percent, or $225.2 billion (table 1 and table 3).
The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 1.9 percent in the fourth quarter, compared
with an increase of 1.5 percent in the third quarter (table 4). The PCE price index increased 1.9 percent,
compared with an increase of 1.5 percent. Excluding food and energy prices, the PCE price index
increased 1.2 percent, compared with an increase of 1.7 percent (appendix table A).
Updates to GDP
The percent change in real GDP was the same as previously estimated. An upward revision to PCE was
offset by downward revisions to state and local government spending and to nonresidential fixed
investment. For more information, see the Technical Note. For information on updates to GDP, see the
“Additional Information” section that follows.
Advance Estimate Second Estimate(Percent change from preceding quarter) Real GDP 1.9 1.9 Current-dollar GDP 4.0 3.9 Gross domestic purchases price index 2.0 1.9 PCE price index 2.2 1.9
2016 GDP
Real GDP increased 1.6 percent in 2016 (that is, from the 2015 annual level to the 2016 annual level),
compared with an increase of 2.6 percent in 2015 (table 1). Revisions to 2016 real GDP from the
advance estimate did not affect the 1.6 percent rate of increase.
The increase in real GDP in 2016 reflected positive contributions from PCE, residential fixed investment,
state and local government spending, exports, and federal government spending that were partly offset
by negative contributions from private inventory investment and nonresidential fixed investment.
Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased (table 2).
The deceleration in real GDP from 2015 to 2016 reflected downturns in private inventory investment
and in nonresidential fixed investment and decelerations in PCE, in residential fixed investment and in
state and local government spending that were partly offset by a deceleration in imports and
accelerations in federal government spending and in exports.
Current-dollar GDP increased 2.9 percent, or $529.0 billion, in 2016 to a level of $18,565.6 billion,
compared with an increase of 3.7 percent, or $643.5 billion, in 2015 (table 1 and table 3).
The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 1.0 percent in 2016, compared with an increase
of 0.4 percent in 2015 (table 4).
During 2016 (that is, measured from the fourth quarter of 2015 to the fourth quarter of 2016), real GDP
increased 1.9 percent, the same rate as during 2015. The price index for gross domestic purchases
increased 1.4 percent during 2016, compared with an increase of 0.4 percent during 2015 (table 7).
FULL DOCUMENT: https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2017/pdf/gdp4q16_2nd.pdf
U.S. Census Bureau. 02/28/2017. Advance U.S. International Trade in Goods
The advance international trade deficit in goods increased to $69.2 billion in January from $64.4 billion in December as exports decreased and imports increased.
- January 2017: 69.2° $ billion
- December 2016: 64.4° $ billion
(°) Statistical significance is not applicable or not measurable for these surveys. The Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders estimates are not based on a probability sample, so we can neither measure the sampling error of these estimates nor compute confidence intervals.
(r) Revised.
All estimates are seasonally adjusted except for the Rental Vacancy Rate, Home Ownership Rate, Quarterly Financial Report for Retail Trade, and Quarterly Services Survey. None of the estimates are adjusted for price changes.
U.S. Census Bureau. 02/27/2017. 2015 Manufacturing and International Trade Report
The Census Bureau announces the release of the 2015 Manufacturing and International Trade Report (MITR). The MITR provides a comprehensive comparison between detailed manufacturing product class data and associated import and export data.
The data are published on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis from the 2015 Annual Survey of Manufactures, presented with official U.S. import and export merchandise trade statistics.
FULL DOCUMENT: https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/MITR/2015/index.html
U.S. Census Bureau. 02/27/2017. U.S. Census Bureau FT900 - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Update
The Census Bureau announces the release of the 2015 Manufacturing and International Trade Report (MITR). The MITR provides a comprehensive comparison between detailed manufacturing product class data and associated import and export data.
The data are published on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis from the 2015 Annual Survey of Manufactures, presented with official U.S. import and export merchandise trade statistics.
FULL DOCUMENT: https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/MITR/2015/index.html
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EXCLUSIVO-Arábia Saudita quer quer preços do petróleo subam para cerca de US$ 60 em 2017
Por Rania El Gamal e Alex Lawler
DUBAI/LONDRES (Reuters) - A Arábia Saudita quer que os preços do barril de petróleo subam para cerca de 60 dólares neste ano, disseram cinco fontes de países da Organização dos Países Exportadores de Petróleo (Opep) e da indústria petrolífera.
Este é o patamar que o país, um peso-pesado da Opep, e seus aliados do golfo --Emirados Árabes Unidos, Kuweit e Catar-- acreditam que encorajaria o investimento em novos campos, mas não levaria a um saldo na produção de gás de xisto dos Estados Unidos, disseram as fontes.
A Opep, a Rússia e outros países produtores prometeram no ano passado reduzir a produção para cerca de 1,8 milhão de barris por dia a partir de 1º de janeiro. O primeiro corte na produção em oito anos tem o objetivo de elevar os preços e se livrar de um excesso de produção.
Os preços do petróleo subiram em mais de 14 por cento desde o pacto firmado em novembro, mas ainda gira na casa de 56 dólares, apesar de um cumprimento recorde do acordo entre países-membros e não-membros da Opep.
Autoridades da Opep têm dito repetidamente que o grupo não busca um preço específico para o petróleo e seu foco é ajudar o mercado a se reequilibrar.
Mas nos bastidores, Riad e seus aliados do golfo na Opep esperam ver um nível mais alto dos preços, porque o preço baixo afeta suas finanças e gera temores de um desabastecimento no futuro.
MRE. AIG. 28/02/2017. Nota nº 58. Reeleição do embaixador Roberto Azevêdo para o cargo de Diretor-Geral da Organização Mundial do Comércio
Hoje, 28 de fevereiro, o Conselho-Geral da OMC aprovou a recondução do embaixador Roberto Azevêdo, atual Diretor-Geral da Organização, a um segundo mandato de quatro anos, a ter início em 1 de setembro de 2017.
Roberto Azevêdo era candidato único. Esse fato expressa o amplo reconhecimento dos Membros da OMC à contribuição do Diretor-Geral para os resultados alcançados pela Organização durante seu primeiro mandato (2013-2017).
Na Conferência Ministerial de Bali, em 2013, concluiu-se a negociação do Acordo de Facilitação de Comércio (AFC), o primeiro acordo multilateral celebrado pela OMC desde sua criação em 1 de janeiro de 1995. Como se divulgou, o AFC entrou em vigor no último dia 22 de fevereiro corrente. Na Conferência Ministerial de Nairobi, em dezembro de 2015, chegou-se a entendimento histórico sobre o fim dos subsídios à exportação de produtos agrícolas. No dia 23 de janeiro último, entrou em vigor o Protocolo de Emenda ao Acordo de TRIPS (Acordo sobre Aspectos de Direitos de Propriedade Intelectual Relacionados a Comércio), que facilita as condições de acesso de países em desenvolvimento a medicamentos essenciais.
O Brasil apoiou decididamente a recondução do DG-OMC, movido pelo reconhecimento de suas contribuições durante o primeiro mandato e pela convicção de que continuará a contribuir, em circunstâncias internacionais cada vez mais desafiadoras, para o fortalecimento do Sistema Multilateral de Comércio.
O Governo brasileiro felicita vivamente o embaixador Roberto Azevêdo pela eleição e formula votos ao nosso compatriota de novos êxitos no segundo mandato.
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LGCJ.: