Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property 
located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter of 2007, 
according to preliminary estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.  In the second quarter, 
real GDP increased 3.8 percent. 

 	The GDP estimates released today are based on more complete source data than were available for 
the advance estimates issued last month.  In the advance estimates, the increase in real GDP was 3.9 
percent (see "Revisions" on page 3).

	The increase in real GDP in the third quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from 
exports, personal consumption expenditures (PCE), private inventory investment, equipment and 
software, federal government spending, nonresidential structures, and state and local government 
spending that were partly offset by a negative contribution from residential fixed investment.  Imports, 
which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.
	
	The acceleration in real GDP growth in the third quarter primarily reflected accelerations in 
exports, in PCE, and in private inventory investment that were partly offset by an upturn in imports, a 
larger decrease in residential fixed investment, and a deceleration in nonresidential structures.

	Final sales of computers contributed 0.27 percentage point to the third-quarter growth in real GDP 
after contributing 0.21 percentage point to the second-quarter growth.  Motor vehicle output contributed 
0.43 percentage point to the third-quarter growth in real GDP after contributing 0.03 percentage point to 
the second-quarter growth.  



FOOTNOTE.--Quarterly estimates are expressed at seasonally adjusted annual rates, unless otherwise
specified.  Quarter-to-quarter dollar changes are differences between these published estimates.  Percent 
changes are calculated from unrounded data and are annualized.  "Real" estimates are in chained (2000)
dollars.  Price indexes are chain-type measures.


             This news release is available on BEA's Web site at www.bea.gov/newsreleases/rels.htm.



        The price index for gross domestic purchases, which measures prices paid by U.S. residents,
increased 1.6 percent in the third quarter, the same as in the advance estimate; this index increased 3.8 
percent in the second quarter.  Excluding food and energy prices, the price index for gross domestic 
purchases increased 1.7 percent in the third quarter, compared with an increase of 1.5 percent in the 
second.

	Real personal consumption expenditures increased 2.7 percent in the third quarter, compared with 
an increase of 1.4 percent in the second.  Real nonresidential fixed investment increased 9.4 percent, 
compared with an increase of 11.0 percent.  Nonresidential structures increased 14.3 percent, compared 
with an increase of 26.2 percent.  Equipment and software increased 7.2 percent, compared with an 
increase of 4.7 percent.  Real residential fixed investment decreased 19.7 percent, compared with a 
decrease of 11.8 percent.

	Real exports of goods and services increased 18.9 percent in the third quarter, compared with an 
increase of 7.5 percent in the second.  Real imports of goods and services increased 4.3 percent, in 
contrast to a decrease of 2.7 percent.

	Real federal government consumption expenditures and gross investment increased 7.0 percent in 
the third quarter, compared with an increase of 6.0 percent in the second.  National defense increased 
10.1 percent, compared with an increase of 8.5 percent.  Nondefense increased 0.9 percent, the same 
increase as in the second.  Real state and local government consumption expenditures and gross 
investment increased 2.1 percent, compared with an increase of 3.0 percent.

	The real change in private inventories added 0.98 percentage point to the third-quarter change in 
real GDP, after adding 0.22 percentage point to the second-quarter change.  Private businesses increased 
inventories $32.9 billion in the third quarter, following an increase of $5.8 billion in the second quarter 
and an increase of $0.1 billion in the first.

	Real final sales of domestic product -- GDP less change in private inventories -- increased 3.9 
percent in the third quarter, compared with an increase of 3.6 percent in the second.


Gross domestic purchases

	Real gross domestic purchases -- purchases by U.S. residents of goods and services wherever 
produced -- increased 3.4 percent in the third quarter, compared with an increase of 2.4 percent in the 
second. 


Gross national product

	Real gross national product -- the goods and services produced by the labor and property supplied 
by U.S. residents -- increased 5.6 percent in the third quarter, compared with an increase of 4.0 percent 
in the second.  GNP includes, and GDP excludes, net receipts of income from the rest of the world, 
which increased $20.6 billion in the third quarter after increasing $5.8 billion in the second; in the third 
quarter, receipts increased $29.1 billion, and payments increased $8.5 billion.


Current-dollar GDP

	Current-dollar GDP -- the market value of the nation's output of goods and services -- increased 
5.9 percent, or $198.5 billion, in the third quarter to a level of $13,967.3 billion.  In the second quarter, 
current-dollar GDP increased 6.6 percent, or $216.9 billion.


Revisions

	The preliminary estimate of the third-quarter increase in real GDP is 1.0 percentage point, or 
$28.6 billion, more than the advance estimate issued last month.  The upward revision to the percentage 
change in real GDP primarily reflected upward revisions to private inventory investment and to exports 
and a downward revision to imports that were partly offset by a downward revision to personal 
consumption expenditures. 


                                                 Advance         Preliminary
                                           (Percent change from preceding quarter)

Real GDP...............................            3.9              4.9
Current-dollar GDP.....................            4.7              5.9
Gross domestic purchases price index...            1.6              1.6




                                       Corporate Profits

	Profits from current production (corporate profits with inventory valuation and capital 
consumption adjustments) decreased $19.3 billion in the third quarter, in contrast to an increase of $94.7 
billion in the second quarter.  Current-production cash flow (net cash flow with inventory valuation and 
capital consumption adjustments) -- the internal funds available to corporations for investment -- 
decreased $22.1 billion in the third quarter, in contrast to an increase of $37.4 billion in the second.

	Taxes on corporate income decreased $19.1 billion in the third quarter, in contrast to an increase 
of $37.6 billion in the second.  Profits after tax with inventory valuation and capital consumption 
adjustments decreased $0.1 billion in the third quarter, in contrast to an increase of $57.0 billion in the 
second.  Dividends increased $23.5 billion compared with an increase of $24.8 billion; current-
production undistributed profits decreased $23.6 billion, in contrast to an increase of $32.2 billion.

	Domestic profits of financial corporations decreased $29.1 billion in the third quarter, in contrast 
to an increase of $52.7 billion in the second.  Domestic profits of nonfinancial corporations decreased 
$12.1 billion in the third quarter, in contrast to an increase of $25.3 billion in the second.  In the third 
quarter, real gross corporate value added increased, and profits per unit of real value added decreased, 
primarily reflecting a decrease in unit prices.   
 
	The rest-of-the-world component of profits increased $21.9 billion in the third quarter, compared 
with an increase of $16.7 billion in the second.  This measure is calculated as (1) receipts by U.S. 
residents of earnings from their foreign affiliates plus dividends received by U.S. residents from 
unaffiliated foreign corporations minus (2) payments by U.S. affiliates of earnings to their foreign 
parents plus dividends paid by U.S. corporations to unaffiliated foreign residents.  The third-quarter 
increase was accounted for by a larger increase in receipts than in payments.

	Profits before tax decreased $52.0 billion in the third quarter, in contrast to an increase of $115.7 
billion in the second.  The before-tax measure of profits does not reflect, as does profits from current 
production, the capital consumption and inventory valuation adjustments.  These adjustments convert 
depreciation of fixed assets and inventory withdrawals reported on a tax-return, historical-cost basis to 
the current-cost measures used in the national income and product accounts.  The capital consumption 
adjustment decreased $2.4 billion in the third quarter (from -$234.4 billion to -$236.8 billion), compared 
with a decrease of $6.5 billion in the second.  The inventory valuation adjustment increased $35.1 
billion (from -$54.7 billion to -$19.6 billion), in contrast to a decrease of $14.5 billion.



                                      *          *          *


     BEA's national, international, regional, and industry estimates; the Survey of Current Business; and 
BEA news releases are available without charge on BEA's Web site at www.bea.gov.  By visiting the 
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                                      *          *          *


                        Next release -- December 20, 2007 at 8:30 A.M. EST for:
                        Gross Domestic Product:  Third Quarter 2007 (Final)
                        Corporate Profits:  Third Quarter 2007 (Final)




Release dates in 2008   


Gross domestic product

                    2007: IV and 2007 annual    2008: I     2008: II        2008: III
Advance......             January 30            April 30    July 31         October 30
Preliminary..             February 28           May 29      August 28       November 25
Final........             March 27              June 26     September 26    December 23


Corporate Profits 

Preliminary..              ....                 May 29      August 28       November 25
Final........             March 27              June 26     September 26    December 23