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Economic Report of the President

Report - The American Presidency Project

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ter, <strong>the</strong> low level <strong>of</strong> inventories encouraged a continuation <strong>of</strong> buildingactivity.The average price <strong>of</strong> a new home (adjusted for changes in quality)increased at an 11 percent annual rate in <strong>the</strong> first 3 quarters <strong>of</strong> 1980,which was about as fast as in <strong>the</strong> preceding year. Many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> homesbuilt in 1980 were smaller and more austere than those constructedin preceding years, reflecting <strong>the</strong> recession weakness in incomes and<strong>the</strong> high cost <strong>of</strong> mortgage finance.Business Fixed InvestmentReal business fixed investment declined 6.0 percent over <strong>the</strong> 4quarters <strong>of</strong> 1980. Business fixed investment averaged 10.7 percent <strong>of</strong>GNP, somewhat lower than <strong>the</strong> 11.0 percent level in 1979. Producers*durable equipment declined 4.8 percent during 1980. The volatileautomotive portion <strong>of</strong> equipment purchases fell 16.2 percentduring <strong>the</strong> year, its second year <strong>of</strong> very large declines. The remainingcomponents declined 2.4 percent. Investment in nonresidential structuresdropped 9.1 percent over <strong>the</strong> same period (Table 15).TABLE 15.—Changes in real business fixed investment, 1975-80[Percent change, fourth quarter to fourth quarter]197519761977197819791980 >Nonresidential fixed investment-7.47.813.59.02.9-6.0StructuresProducers' durable equipment-56-8.02.610.24817.41187.795-91-4.8Autos, trucks, and busesO<strong>the</strong>r2.0-10.417.28.523.915.79.87.2-22.97.4-16.2= 2.41 Preliminary.Source: Department <strong>of</strong> Commerce, Bureau <strong>of</strong> <strong>Economic</strong> Analysis.Several factors contributed to <strong>the</strong> decline in business fixed investment.First, <strong>the</strong> deceleration in final sales reduced <strong>the</strong> need for immediateadditions to capacity. The Federal Reserve Board's index <strong>of</strong>capacity utilization rates in manufacturing dropped from 83.9 percentin January to a 5-year low <strong>of</strong> 74.9 percent following <strong>the</strong> spring decline.The sizable drop in this aggregate index, however, maskedsome important differences among certain industries. In <strong>the</strong> durablegoods materials industries, for instance, capacity utilization rates fellbelow 70 percent. Thus key suppliers <strong>of</strong> hard goods found <strong>the</strong>mselveswith plenty <strong>of</strong> capacity to satisfy demand over <strong>the</strong> near term.In addition, forecasts <strong>of</strong> recession indicated that capacity needswould not be rising until early 1981. These forecasts, in conjunctionwith <strong>the</strong> high cost <strong>of</strong> funds during <strong>the</strong> early part <strong>of</strong> 1980—widelyperceived as temporary—made <strong>the</strong> delay <strong>of</strong> capital investment plansmore attractive.Finally, shrinking sales and increasing debt service costs seriouslyreduced corporate cash flow. Internally generated funds for invest-142

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