The Atlanta Fed GDPNow growth estimate for the 2nd quarter rose to 3.7% from 3.5%. In their own words:
The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the second quarter of 2026 is 3.7 percent on May 5, up from 3.5 percent on May 1. After recent releases from the US Census Bureau, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Institute for Supply Management, the nowcasts of second-quarter real personal consumption expenditures growth and second-quarter real gross private domestic investment growth increased from 2.5 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively, to 2.7 percent and 9.1 percent.
The next GDPNow update is Thursday, May 7 . Please see the “Release Dates” tab for a list of upcoming releases.
It is early in the models life. The 1st estimate for the 2nd quarter was released on April 30 at 3.7%. Last quarter,the first estimate of first-quarter real GDP growth released by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis was 2.0 percent, 0.8 percentage points above the final GDPNow nowcast of 1.2%.
