Just a few weeks ago, markets were worried that the US economy might have stagnated in the first quarter. However, a recent raft of positive surprises means that we should be expecting 2.5% annualised growth from Friday's 1Q GDP report.
A tough start
There was considerable pessimism surrounding the US economy at the beginning of the year. Global slowdown fears had prompted steep falls in equity markets through late 2018, which, in turn, sapped US business and consumer confidence. Much of the concern related to US-China trade tensions, and while President Trump had postponed additional