Great 1st Quarter! What's to Follow a Recession?
The pattern of slower domestic growth is unmistakable. GDP readings for the last three quarters have been +4.3%, +3.4% and +2.2%. A blue chip consensus estimate for the 1st Quarter of 2019 has dropped to a meager 1.3%, although the Atlanta Fed’s GDP forecast for the 1st Quarter now has moved above 2% in the last week. Most analysts expect a pickup as the year progresses, based on seasonal factors and more certainty from the Fed. Another culprit, the inversion of the yield cur