The Bureau of Economic Analysis provides profit data for various industries in the United States.
Go to www.bea.gov
At the top left, click on “Data”, then choose “By Economic Account”.
Click on “National”, then on “Corporate Profits”.
Scroll down and click on “Interactive Data”.
You will be using Table 6.16D, “Corporate Profits by Industry”. Consider only the data in Rows 10 through 32.
In your initial response to the topic you have to answer all questions:
- Based on the figures for the most recent quarter, within each of the following categories which sector* or industry had the greatest profits in terms of dollars:
Financial or nonfinancial?
Manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, wholesale trade, or retail trade?
Durable goods or nondurable goods?
- Look at the last four quarters covered in the table. From the beginning of this period to the end of this period, which sector* had the largest percentage increase in profit and which sector had the smallest percentage increase in profit (or the largest percentage decrease in profit)?
- Which sectors*, if any, experienced losses during the last four quarters covered in the table?
*Note: By “sector”, I mean any group larger than an individual industry, such as “nonfinancial”, “manufacturing”, “durable goods”, and “information”. The listings in Rows 17 through 22 and 24 through 27 (the rows which are most indented from the left margin) are industries, not sectors.
- Describe in general terms (without reference to any particular industry or sector) the implications of profit changes for future expansion or contraction at the industry level.
- Reflection – Students also should include a paragraph in the initial responsein their own words reflecting on specifically what they learned from the assignment and how they think they could apply what they learned in the workplace.
You are expected to make your own contribution in a main topic as well as respond with value-added comments to at least two of your classmates. You are encouraged to respond to other students as well as to your instructor.
