Slack in demand muffles investment: 4-quarter change in business fixed investment and all other components of GDP, 1955–2015

Date Growth of all other components of GDP Fixed-investment growth rate
1955Q1 3.88% 11.88%
1955Q2 4.63% 14.71%
1955Q3 5.00% 13.02%
1955Q4 3.07% 11.04%
1956Q1 1.13% 5.17%
1956Q2 1.49% 2.01%
1956Q3 0.39% -0.20%
1956Q4 2.60% -1.07%
1957Q1 3.72% 0.54%
1957Q2 2.29% -1.34%
1957Q3 3.16% -0.38%
1957Q4 1.74% -1.58%
1958Q1 -1.00% -7.07%
1958Q2 0.57% -8.58%
1958Q3 1.63% -8.14%
1958Q4 3.16% -1.05%
1959Q1 6.63% 11.04%
1959Q2 6.94% 17.36%
1959Q3 6.01% 16.85%
1959Q4 3.56% 9.03%
1960Q1 2.43% 6.40%
1960Q2 1.59% 1.34%
1960Q3 1.13% -1.87%
1960Q4 2.08% -0.91%
1961Q1 2.11% -4.93%
1961Q2 2.34% -1.58%
1961Q3 3.07% 2.99%
1961Q4 4.74% 6.46%
1962Q1 5.56% 9.43%
1962Q2 6.01% 10.71%
1962Q3 5.92% 8.99%
1962Q4 4.65% 5.33%
1963Q1 3.71% 4.70%
1963Q2 3.78% 6.35%
1963Q3 4.92% 8.10%
1963Q4 4.54% 11.67%
1964Q1 6.21% 14.05%
1964Q2 5.70% 8.98%
1964Q3 4.44% 8.09%
1964Q4 3.86% 5.87%
1965Q1 2.99% 6.95%
1965Q2 3.36% 10.18%
1965Q3 4.39% 11.35%
1965Q4 6.71% 12.94%
1966Q1 7.11% 12.09%
1966Q2 6.06% 7.94%
1966Q3 5.11% 5.21%
1966Q4 3.06% 0.10%
1967Q1 3.18% -5.33%
1967Q2 4.23% -2.03%
1967Q3 4.08% -0.96%
1967Q4 4.67% 4.80%
1968Q1 4.95% 9.20%
1968Q2 4.91% 6.31%
1968Q3 5.38% 6.67%
1968Q4 4.92% 6.01%
1969Q1 4.05% 6.58%
1969Q2 2.78% 7.40%
1969Q3 1.78% 7.28%
1969Q4 1.21% 2.47%
1970Q1 0.45% -0.80%
1970Q2 0.06% -3.35%
1970Q3 0.77% -3.10%
1970Q4 1.32% -0.92%
1971Q1 2.20% 1.63%
1971Q2 3.32% 7.65%
1971Q3 3.17% 7.69%
1971Q4 4.01% 10.54%
1972Q1 3.94% 12.93%
1972Q2 4.90% 10.71%
1972Q3 4.59% 10.07%
1972Q4 5.37% 11.95%
1973Q1 6.02% 11.59%
1973Q2 4.09% 10.54%
1973Q3 3.22% 8.98%
1973Q4 1.09% 3.51%
1974Q1 -0.88% -2.38%
1974Q2 -0.61% -4.34%
1974Q3 -0.43% -5.63%
1974Q4 -1.73% -9.92%
1975Q1 -0.29% -13.31%
1975Q2 0.96% -13.21%
1975Q3 2.31% -9.60%
1975Q4 5.08% -2.56%
1976Q1 5.43% 7.52%
1976Q2 4.34% 10.55%
1976Q3 3.44% 9.13%
1976Q4 3.72% 12.07%
1977Q1 2.99% 11.39%
1977Q2 4.22% 15.29%
1977Q3 4.66% 15.46%
1977Q4 3.76% 12.13%
1978Q1 3.09% 9.36%
1978Q2 4.65% 11.05%
1978Q3 4.39% 12.62%
1978Q4 4.68% 13.14%
1979Q1 4.44% 13.12%
1979Q2 1.47% 5.27%
1979Q3 1.84% 4.28%
1979Q4 1.23% 1.10%
1980Q1 1.24% -1.10%
1980Q2 -0.84% -8.68%
1980Q3 -0.84% -9.15%
1980Q4 -0.10% -4.83%
1981Q1 0.37% -2.64%
1981Q2 2.30% 6.89%
1981Q3 1.06% 5.62%
1981Q4 -0.85% 1.38%
1982Q1 -1.19% -2.77%
1982Q2 -0.69% -6.61%
1982Q3 -0.23% -8.86%
1982Q4 2.67% -8.47%
1983Q1 4.26% -3.32%
1983Q2 5.63% 3.64%
1983Q3 7.33% 12.16%
1983Q4 5.89% 18.35%
1984Q1 4.85% 19.36%
1984Q2 4.60% 19.50%
1984Q3 3.41% 15.39%
1984Q4 4.10% 11.24%
1985Q1 5.24% 8.83%
1985Q2 4.64% 6.09%
1985Q3 6.18% 3.60%
1985Q4 5.06% 3.72%
1986Q1 4.57% 3.08%
1986Q2 5.06% 1.80%
1986Q3 4.83% 1.76%
1986Q4 5.03% 0.64%
1987Q1 3.98% -1.38%
1987Q2 3.82% 0.11%
1987Q3 2.85% 2.29%
1987Q4 2.93% 1.46%
1988Q1 4.05% 3.30%
1988Q2 3.75% 3.74%
1988Q3 3.38% 2.45%
1988Q4 4.16% 3.71%
1989Q1 3.12% 4.56%
1989Q2 3.01% 2.69%
1989Q3 3.44% 4.01%
1989Q4 2.42% 1.47%
1990Q1 3.25% 1.76%
1990Q2 2.56% -0.38%
1990Q3 1.65% -2.92%
1990Q4 1.10% -4.17%
1991Q1 -0.21% -7.90%
1991Q2 0.56% -5.76%
1991Q3 0.83% -4.84%
1991Q4 1.05% -1.92%
1992Q1 3.14% 1.98%
1992Q2 2.65% 5.03%
1992Q3 3.24% 6.11%
1992Q4 4.09% 8.76%
1993Q1 1.97% 8.36%
1993Q2 2.15% 6.77%
1993Q3 2.09% 7.22%
1993Q4 2.16% 8.33%
1994Q1 2.81% 8.86%
1994Q2 2.98% 9.09%
1994Q3 3.04% 8.27%
1994Q4 2.54% 6.60%
1995Q1 2.17% 7.55%
1995Q2 1.99% 5.38%
1995Q3 2.23% 6.01%
1995Q4 2.25% 5.56%
1996Q1 2.83% 5.96%
1996Q2 3.53% 9.34%
1996Q3 2.49% 10.27%
1996Q4 3.21% 9.84%
1997Q1 3.06% 9.10%
1997Q2 2.41% 7.83%
1997Q3 3.39% 9.21%
1997Q4 2.95% 8.33%
1998Q1 2.76% 9.47%
1998Q2 3.62% 10.99%
1998Q3 3.62% 9.15%
1998Q4 4.38% 11.29%
1999Q1 4.43% 10.03%
1999Q2 3.91% 8.98%
1999Q3 3.74% 9.43%
1999Q4 3.74% 7.00%
2000Q1 3.95% 8.11%
2000Q2 3.75% 7.98%
2000Q3 3.12% 6.00%
2000Q4 2.36% 5.75%
2001Q1 2.61% 2.35%
2001Q2 2.62% -1.22%
2001Q3 2.35% -2.41%
2001Q4 3.04% -4.86%
2002Q1 2.81% -4.93%
2002Q2 2.54% -3.90%
2002Q3 3.05% -3.44%
2002Q4 1.91% -1.48%
2003Q1 1.89% -0.18%
2003Q2 2.39% 2.23%
2003Q3 3.37% 5.83%
2003Q4 3.96% 8.22%
2004Q1 4.15% 7.06%
2004Q2 3.37% 7.47%
2004Q3 2.58% 6.28%
2004Q4 2.42% 6.21%
2005Q1 2.47% 8.31%
2005Q2 3.19% 7.28%
2005Q3 3.25% 6.81%
2005Q4 2.58% 5.06%
2006Q1 2.84% 5.55%
2006Q2 1.97% 2.99%
2006Q3 1.12% 0.35%
2006Q4 2.28% -0.86%
2007Q1 1.25% -3.05%
2007Q2 1.47% -1.94%
2007Q3 2.07% -1.53%
2007Q4 1.34% -1.39%
2008Q1 0.90% -3.02%
2008Q2 1.23% -4.63%
2008Q3 0.40% -7.08%
2008Q4 -1.17% -12.47%
2009Q1 -0.68% -17.72%
2009Q2 -0.81% -19.67%
2009Q3 0.04% -17.15%
2009Q4 1.19% -11.91%
2010Q1 1.05% -4.37%
2010Q2 0.97% 2.58%
2010Q3 0.35% 2.61%
2010Q4 1.29% 5.47%
2011Q1 1.24% 5.03%
2011Q2 1.01% 3.75%
2011Q3 1.29% 8.09%
2011Q4 0.58% 8.44%
2012Q1 1.26% 12.48%
2012Q2 1.13% 12.13%
2012Q3 1.14% 7.77%
2012Q4 1.27% 7.04%
2013Q1 1.04% 4.67%
2013Q2 1.09% 3.60%
2013Q3 1.12% 4.54%
2013Q4 1.60% 4.10%
2014Q1 1.12% 4.36%
2014Q2 1.78% 5.12%
2014Q3 2.39% 6.14%
2014Q4 2.17% 5.46%
2015Q1 2.20% 4.77%
2015Q2 2.34% 4.67%
2015Q3 2.12% 3.65%
2015Q4 1.92% 3.05%

Note: Shaded areas denote recessions.

Source: Author’s analysis of data from BEA NIPA Tables 1.1.3 and 1.1.6

View the underlying data on epi.org.