To begin with, GDP growth can be reasonably approximated by summing the growth in the labor force and the growth in worker productivity. Historically, a ~1+% growth rate in our labor force, combined with productivity growth of ~2+% have combined to create a real growth rate for the U.S. economy (until fairly recently) of ~3.0%-3.5% (see Chart 1). This simple “rule of thumb” has squared quite well with reported GDP growth since 1950, with few exceptions (see Chart 2). In both of the decades in which the relationship deviated, interestingly enough, extreme economic shocks were involved (Arab oil embargo of the 1970s and the “Great Recession” of 2008/2009) and resulted in extreme bear markets in equities. In any case, over long periods of time GDP growth equates directly to growth in the size and efficiency of the U.S. labor pool.
Read More
The NEAM Vantage Point series of publications delivers actionable insights to insurance executives by covering a wide range of investment and capital markets topics relevant to the insurance industry.