US economy contracts at 0.3% rate in Q1, first GDP pullback in 3 years

The US economy contracted for the first time in three years to start 2025 as a surge in imports dragged down GDP and prices increased more than forecast.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis' advance estimate of first quarter US gross domestic product (GDP) showed economic growth contracted at an annualized rate of 0.3% during the year's first three months, more than the 0.2% decline expected by economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The reading came in significantly lower than the 2.4% rate of growth seen in the fourth quarter of 2024.

This marked the first quarter of negative GDP growth since the first quarter of 2022.

"While a decline during an expansion is unusual, it's not unheard of and the economy isn't in a recession," Oxford Economics chief US economist Ryan Sweet wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-economy-contracts-at-03-rate-in-q1-first-gdp-pullback-in-3-years-123544859.html