- The 6.5% annual rate is considerably less than the 8.4% Dow Jones’ estimate.
- Biden fell short of his own favored economic forecast, Moody’s, which predicted 9.6% growth for Q2.
- The personal savings rate dropped sharply, tumbling to $1.97 trillion in the second quarter, compared with $4.07 trillion in the first quarter.
- Economists expect GDP growth to slow to 3.5% annualized in the second half of this year.
- Initial claims for unemployment insurance also missed expectations, with the 400,000 total above the 380,000 expectation.
- President Biden’s Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted that the unemployment bonus are likely discouraging work, saying that “it’s a significant issue.”
