Cnbc: U.S. GDP Rises 1.4% in Fourth Quarter as Inflation Holds Near 3%
cnbc — Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 1. 4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, the advance estimate released by the U. S. Bureau of Economic Analysis found, down from a 4. 4 percent gain in the third quarter; the slowdown reflected downturns in government spending and exports.
Cnbc: Consumer spending and investment drove the Q4 increase
The BEA said increases in consumer spending and investment were the main contributors to the 1. 4 percent rise in Q4 2025, while decreases in government spending and exports partly offset those gains; imports, which are subtracted in the GDP calculation, decreased in the quarter. Real final sales to private domestic purchasers — the sum of consumer spending and gross private fixed investment — rose 2. 4 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with a 2. 9 percent increase in the third quarter.
Price measures show persistent inflation in the quarter
The price index for gross domestic purchases increased 3. 7 percent in Q4 2025, up from a 3. 4 percent increase in Q3. The personal consumption expenditures price index increased 2. 9 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with a 2. 8 percent increase in the third quarter, while core PCE excluding food and energy rose 2. 7 percent in Q4 versus 2. 9 percent in Q3. For the calendar year, real GDP increased 2. 2 percent in 2025 compared with a 2. 8 percent increase in 2024, and the price index for gross domestic purchases rose 2. 6 percent in 2025 compared with 2. 4 percent in 2024.
Rescheduling and the BEA’s release plans
The advance report for the fourth quarter of 2025, originally scheduled for January 29, 2026, was rescheduled because of the October–November 2025 government shutdown, the BEA noted. The agency also said it is modifying news release packages as part of ongoing modernization: beginning with the third estimate for the fourth quarter on April 9, 2026, PDF and Excel news release tables will no longer be provided and users will be directed to online interactive data tables.
The BEA set its next public update as the second estimate for the fourth quarter and year 2025, scheduled for March 13, 2026, at 8: 30 a. m. EDT. cnbc
