Graphic Arts Index
Staff -- graphic arts online, 8/1/2001
Consumer spending on nondurable goods (including items like books, magazines, and greeting cards) rose at a reassuringly moderate 3.0% seasonally adjusted annualized rate during Q1 2001, following a 1.0% gain over Q4 2000. Still, nondurable spending for full-year 2001 looks like it will grow at a rate well below the strong 4.9% average for the 1998-2000 period. Declining total production for printing/publishing and slowing inflation rates will be two other products of the economic slowdown, but 2002 should see a return to somewhat healthier market conditions. Magazine/book/greeting card publishing will fare the best in 2001, while newspapers and financial printing will see output fall sharply.
| Actual Value | Annual % Change | |||||
| General Economic (1) | Q1/00 | Q4/00 | Q1/01 | 2000 | 2001* | 2002* |
| Gross Domestic Product | 9,192 | 9,394 | 9,423 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 3.1 |
| Business Equip. Invest. | 1,100 | 1,153 | 1,146 | 13.7 | -3.8 | 8.0 |
| Consumer Spending (total) | 6,214 | 6,373 | 6,427 | 5.3 | 2.9 | 4.3 |
| Nondurable Cons. Spending | 1,845 | 1,887 | 1,902 | 5.0 | 2.2 | 3.6 |
| Industrial Production (2) | 4/00 | 3/00 | 4/01 | 2000 | 2001* | 2002* |
| Printing & Publishing | 109.1 | 106.0 | 106.0 | 2.9 | -1.6 | 1.3 |
| Newspapers | 102.3 | 87.3 | 88.4 | 0.3 | -8.9 | 0.9 |
| Periodicals, Books & Cards | 109.2 | 111.6 | 112.5 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 3.3 |
| Job Printing | 112.8 | 113.1 | 111.8 | 2.4 | -1.1 | 1.6 |
| Producer Prices (3) | ||||||
| Commercial Printing | 154.1 | 157.4 | 158.7 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| Printing Trades Machinery | 141.4 | 143.6 | 143.7 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| Printing Ink | 135.7 | 138.3 | 138.7 | 0.2 | -0.3 | 0.4 |
| Paper | 149.1 | 152.8 | 152.9 | 5.6 | 2.7 | 3.0 |
| (1) Seasonally adjusted annualized rates in billions of 1996 dollars; U.S. Commerce Department; (2) Industrial Production Index; 1992=100, seasonally adjusted; Federal Reserve Board; (3) Producer Price Index; 1982=100; U.S. Department of Labor; *=Forecast | ||||||
