📍U.S. GDP Q1/2026 revised down to +1.6%

📌 The real U.S. GDP for Q1/2026 was revised down by the BEA to +1.6% annualized, lower than the originally reported figure of +2.0%, but still clearly higher than Q4/2025’s +0.5%.
📌 GDP contribution structure:
- Personal consumption: +0.95 percentage points, down from +1.08 percentage points
- Fixed investment: +1.11 percentage points, the main driver
- Net exports: -1.25 percentage points
- Government spending: +0.73 percentage points, unchanged from the previous month
The most important part of the revised data is that total private investment fell from +8.7% to +7.0%. Growth is still positive, but not as strong as in the first release.
📌 Compared with Q4/2025, Q1 GDP improved thanks to:
- Investment surged: from +2.3% to +7.0%
- Government spending rebounded: from -5.6% to +4.4%
- Exports increased: +13.1%
- Imports rose as much as +21.1%, causing net exports to continue dragging down GDP.
- Non-residential investment still increased by +10.1%, equipment rose by +17.2%—the strongest in a year. This remains the brightest spot, reflecting corporate capex, technology, equipment, AI, and manufacturing infrastructure.
U.S. GDP continues to rise thanks to business investment, equipment, IP, and government spending. Consumption, housing, and the trade balance are starting to pose risks, forcing the U.S. to rely on government spending (what Vietnam also calls public investment) to maintain the ideal GDP figure.