Short-Term Energy Outlook
Release Date: January 10, 2017 | Next Release Date: February 7, 2017 | Full Report | Text Only | All Tables | All Figures
U.S. Economic Assumptions
Recent Economic Indicators
After growing at an annual rate of 3.5% during the third quarter of 2016, real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is projected to increase at an annual rate of 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2016 and 2.3% in the first quarter of 2017. Inventory investment and net exports, which boosted real GDP growth in the third quarter of 2016, are expected to restrain GDP growth in late 2016 and early 2017. The U.S. economic expansion will become more balanced as 2016 ends, with consumer spending, residential construction, business fixed investment, and government spending all contributing to economic growth.
Production, Income, and Employment
EIA used the December 2016 version of the IHS Markit macroeconomic model with EIA's energy price forecasts as model inputs to develop the economic projections in the STEO.
Forecast real GDP growth is estimated to have been 1.6% in 2016, and it is expected to be 2.3% in 2017 and 2.6% in 2018. Real disposable income grows by 2.8% in 2017 and by 3.9% in 2017. Forecast total industrial production rises by 1.3% in 2017 and by 3.2% in 2017. Projected growth in nonfarm employment averages 1.3% in 2017 and 1.2% in 2017, down from growth of 1.7% in 2016.
Expenditures
Forecast private real fixed investment growth averages 3.9% and 4.1% in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Real consumption expenditures grow faster than real GDP in 2017 and 2018, at 2.8% and 3.0%, respectively. Export growth is 2.3% in 2017 and 2.8% in 2018, and import growth is 4.0 % and 6.0% over the same two years, respectively. Total government expenditures rise by 0.5% in both 2017 and 2018.
U.S. Economic Assumptions | ||||
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2015 | 2016 | 2017 projected | 2018 projected | |
Economic Output, Income, and Expenditures | (billion chained 2009 dollars) | |||
Real Gross Domestic Product | 16397 | 16652 | 17033 | 17471 |
percent change from prior year | 2.6 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
Real Disposable Personal Income | 12343 | 12689 | 13042 | 13550 |
percent change from prior year | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.9 |
Real Personal Consumption Expenditures | 11215 | 11512 | 11832 | 12185 |
Real Fixed Investment | 2768 | 2787 | 2896 | 3014 |
Business Inventory Change | 93.43 | 6.42 | 0.65 | 56.39 |
Employment | (millions) | |||
Non-Farm Employment | 141.8 | 144.3 | 146.2 | 147.9 |
Commercial Employment | 98.1 | 100.3 | 101.9 | 103.3 |
Production and Price Indexes | ||||
Manufacturing Production Index (2007=100) | 103.6 | 103.8 | 104.9 | 107.9 |
percent change from prior year | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 2.8 |
Consumer Price Index (1982-1984=1.00) | 2.37 | 2.40 | 2.46 | 2.52 |
Producer Price Index: All Commodities (1982=1.00) | 1.90 | 1.85 | 1.92 | 1.97 |
Producer Price Index: Petroleum (1982=1.00) | 1.76 | 1.46 | 1.74 | 1.78 |
GDP Implicit Price Deflator (2005=100) | 110.0 | 111.4 | 114.0 | 116.7 |
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Related Tables | |||||||
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Table 1. U.S. Energy Markets Summary | |||||||
Table 9a. U.S. Macroeconomic Indicators and CO2 Emissions | |||||||
Table 9b. U.S. Regional Macroeconomic Data |