Graphic Arts Index
Staff -- graphic arts online, 4/1/2001
Consumer spending on nondurable goods (e.g. books) slowed dramatically during the end of 2000 while spending growth for durable goods (e.g. consumer electronics) turned negative during Q4 2000. Nondurable spending expanded at a paltry 0.8% annualized rate over the final quarter of 2000 after recording a 4.7% gain during the previous quarter. For all of 2000, consumer spending for nondurables was up 5.0%—almost as much as the record-strong 5.6% increase recorded between 1998 and 1999. This year's gain surely will be lower than during the past two years. But it's durable spending that should take the biggest hit as consumers substitute candy and flowers for SUVs and big-screen TVs.
| Actual Value | Annual % Change | |||||
| Q4/99 | Q3/00 | Q4/00 | 2000 | 2001* | 2002* | |
| General Economic (1) | ||||||
| Gross Domestic Product | 9,084 | 9,370 | 9,394 | 5.0 | 2.2 | 3.6 |
| Business Equip. Invest. | 1,050 | 1,162 | 1,152 | 13.7 | 6.1 | 12.2 |
| Consumer Spending | 6,101 | 6,330 | 6,374 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 4.6 |
| 12/99 | 11/00 | 12/00 | 2000 | 2001* | 2002* | |
| Industrial Production (2) | ||||||
| Printing Publishing | 108.6 | 111.2 | 110.1 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 2.2 |
| Newspapers | 102.1 | 99.2 | 99.9 | 0.7 | -1.9 | 0.6 |
| Periodicals, Books Cards | 108.8 | 115.1 | 113.9 | 5.6 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| Job Printing | 112.0 | 115.3 | 113.2 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
| Producer Prices (3) | ||||||
| Commercial Printing | 152.8 | 157.0 | 157.0 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 2.3 |
| Printing Trades Machinery | 141.2 | 143.2 | 143.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Printing Ink | 135.6 | 136.4 | 136.4 | 0.3 | -0.3 | 0.5 |
| Paper | 145.4 | 152.1 | 151.4 | 5.7 | 2.7 | 3.5 |
(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
