BEA news: GDP, third quarter 2020; Corporate profits, third quarter 2020

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has issued the following news release today:

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 33.1 percent in the third quarter of 2020, as efforts continued to reopen businesses and resume activities that were postponed or restricted due to COVID-19. The increase is the same as in the 'advance' estimate released in October. In the second quarter of 2020, real GDP decreased 31.4 percent.

Profits increased 27.1 percent at a quarterly rate in the third quarter after decreasing 10.3 percent in the second quarter. Corporate profits increased 3.3 percent in the third quarter from one year ago. Profits were impacted by provisions from the Paycheck Protection Program.