Event Overview
Core inflation rate hit 3.2% in March; GDP grew 2% in first quarter; jobless claims lowest since 1969
The U.S. economy expanded at a 2% annualized rate in the first quarter of 2026, with GDP growth reported despite the early weeks of conflict in the Middle East and rising energy prices tied to the Iran war. Core inflation ran 3.2% in March, while unemployment claims reached their lowest level since 1969, according to multiple outlets. Reports note consumer spending remains a large share of activity, and oil prices moved sharply during the period, influencing inflation dynamics and policy considerations. The accounts largely align on the 2% GDP pace and the 3.2% inflation reading, with some emphasis on price pressures from energy markets as a backdrop to the data.
Concrete downstream impact not stated in the supplied coverage.
Left / left-center
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Center
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Right / right-center
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ABC News
8/10Factual: high · Credibility: high
The New York Times
8/10Factual: high · Credibility: high
CNBC
7/10Factual: mostly-factual · Credibility: high
Associated Press
9/10Factual: very-high · Credibility: high
Washington Times
5/10Factual: mixed · Credibility: medium
CNN
7/10Factual: mostly-factual · Credibility: medium
US economy grows at solid pace to start 2026
The reading came in slightly lower than economists expected. The United States economy grew at a solid pace over the first three months of 2026, rebounding from sluggish performance at the end of last year, a government report on Thursday showed. The economy grew at an annualized rate of 2% in the first quarter.
U.S. Economy Grew 2 Percent in Early 2026 Even as War in Iran Began to Hit Energy Prices
Gross domestic product expanded at a 2 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, a period that included the first weeks of conflict in the Middle East.
Core inflation rate hit 3.2% in March; GDP grew 2% in first quarter; jobless claims lowest since 1969
Consumers faced escalating prices in March as the Iran war sent oil soaring and created a new level of challenges for the Fed.
Oil prices whipsaw while US stocks glide near their record heights
FIL:E - The New York Stock Exchange is shown in New York’s Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File) Joseph Lawler, right, works with fellow traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices whipsawed on Thursday.
U.S. economy grew 2% from January-March, recovering from federal shutdown; Iran war clouds outlook
The U.S. economy accelerated at the start of 2026, expanding at a modest 2% pace from January through March after recovering from last fall’s 43-day federal government shutdown. But the outlook is clouded by the Iran war. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that gross domestic product - the nation’s output of.
US economy showed solid growth in the first quarter as Iran war began
The US economy picked up steam in the beginning of the year as the United States and Israel launched a destabilizing war with Iran that has jacked up prices and is still ongoing. Gross domestic product, which measures all the goods and services produced in the economy, registered a 2% annualized rate in the.