U.S. economy shrank 3.5% in 2020 but grew 4% in the last quarter
WASHINGTON — Stuck in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. economy shrank in 2020 by the largest amount in 74 years but grew at a 4% annual rate in the final three months of the year.
For 2020 as a whole, a year when the coronavirus inflicted the worst economic freeze since the end of World War II, the economy contracted 3.5% and clouded the outlook for the coming year. The economic damage followed the eruption of the pandemic 10 months ago and the deep recession it triggered, with tens of millions of Americans left jobless.
Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — slowed sharply in the October-December quarter from a record 33.4% surge in the July-September quarter. That gain had followed a record-shattering annual plunge of 33.4% in the April-June quarter, when the economy went into free-fall.
The pandemic’s blow to the economy early last spring ended the longest U.S. economic expansion on record — nearly 11 years. The damage from the coronavirus caused GDP to contract at a 5% annual rate in last year’s January-March quarter. Since then, thousands of businesses have closed, nearly 10 million people remain out of work and more than 400,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
The estimated drop in GDP for 2020 was the first such decline since a 2.5% fall in 2009, during the recession that followed the 2008 global financial crisis. That was the deepest annual setback since the economy shrank 11.6% in 1946, when the economy was demobilizing after World War II.
The most catastrophic annual contraction in records dating to 1930 was a 12.9% fall in 1932 during the Great Depression.
In contrast to Trump’s approach, Biden believes that if the federal government confronts the COVID-19 crisis head-on, the economy will benefit.
The government’s report Thursday was its first of three estimates of growth last quarter; the figure will be revised twice in the coming weeks.
The outlook for the 2021 economy remains hazy. Economists warn that a sustained recovery is not likely to take hold until COVID-19 vaccines are distributed and administered nationwide and government-enacted rescue aid spreads through the economy — a process likely to take months.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve took note of the economic threats. It kept its benchmark interest rate at a record low, near zero, and stressed that it would keep pursuing its low-rate policies until a recovery is well underway. The Fed acknowledged that the economy has faltered in recent months, with hiring weakening especially in industries affected by the pandemic, notably the hospitality sector and others that involve face-to-face public contact.
Hiring in the U.S. has slowed for six straight months, and employers shed jobs in December for the first time since April. The job market has sputtered as the pandemic and colder weather have discouraged Americans from traveling, shopping, dining out or visiting entertainment venues. Retail sales have declined for three straight months.
After “a gloomy COVID winter,†widespread vaccination will bring years of robust growth to California’s economy, the UCLA Anderson forecast says.
Last month, the government enacted a $900-billion rescue aid package, and President Biden is pushing for lawmakers to follow up by approving his $1.9-trillion plan for further economic help. Biden’s proposal has met resistance from many Republicans who contend that the cost is too high and some of its benefits misplaced.
Many economists warn that, without further support, the economy risks succumbing to another recession. They note that much of the aid for individuals from the $900-billion package is set to expire in mid-March.
“The economy is still struggling,†said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “How strong the economy is later this year will depend on how the virus evolves and the effectiveness of the vaccines and mitigation efforts.â€
Zandi predicted that the economy would expand at a 4.4% annual rate in the current quarter and achieve annual growth rates later this year above 5%. But he cautioned that his forecast is based on the enactment of further federal economic relief, and he expects Biden initially to win congressional approval for only about half his $1.9-trillion proposal.
About 5 million jobs, Zandi estimates, will never return, forcing the unemployed in such industries as restaurants and bars to find work in other sectors.
“We have lost so many low-paying service jobs at restaurants, hotels and in transportation,†said Sung Won Sohn, an economics and business professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
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