GDP Revisions

This is just a short post to illustrate the magnitude of GDP revisions.  I downloaded quarterly GDP data from BEA in June 2011.  I went back to BEA this morning to update the file. Forgetting about GDP revisions, I thought I'd be adding 2 or three more quarters of data, but discovered that all the numbers since Q2 2003 had been revised.  Prior values are unchanged.   Plotted below is the difference between the June, 2011 numbers and what I found this morning.

The depth of the trough in Q3 2009 was $194 Billion worse than we thought just a few months ago.  I was surprised to see the revisions go back a full 9 years.

Tyler Cowan got one thing right.  We are poorer than we think we are.

Cross Posted at Angry Bear