If you throw all the products we buy and the services we use in one basket, then add up the price tag, that's the Gross Domestic Product, which is the primary metric economists use to assess the economic health of a country or region.

The easy part of calculating GDP is the calculation itself: C+I+G+(X-M)=GDP. Got it? No? Well, add Consumption, Investment by companies, Government purchases, and then take the product of eXports (calling it 'E' would lack sexiness) minus iMports ('I' was taken). Viola! GDP.

Still don't get it? Well, knowing the components helps. Consumption is the biggest component, and it's a tally of the cost of all the goods and services we buy. Investment is what companies spend on the real assets they own, plus the value of the inventory that we haven't gobbled up through consumption. Government purchases are what the Feds pay money for (whether it be highways or fighter jets, though big social programs, like welfare, aren't counted). And then we calculate the difference between the goods and services we¿re sending to other countries and the stuff we're bringing in.

Good. That explains it, except there's a catch. Inflation has a habit of distorting the numbers, so economists talk about either Nominal GDP or Real GDP. In fact, Real GDP isn't necessarily "real" for most folks, since it takes any inflation out. Nominal GDP includes the effects of inflation. (There's something called the implicit price deflator which is a calculation using the two, but we'll spare you the details.)

So, now that we know GDP, why do we want to? Well, it's good to compare different markets. And watching the trend shows whether a given economy is growing (good), stagnating (not so good), or shrinking (very not so good). When GDP goes down two quarters in a row, we're officially in a recession.

For the record, GDP is released at the end of each month, with most reporting ¿preliminary¿ data for the previous month. But you won't get final GDP numbers for the fourth quarter of a year until the very end of the first quarter of the next year. After all, it's not an easy number to calculate.

Home / Markets / Industries / Media

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Research and Markets: Industry Insight Reports Sprint Nextel, Clearwire, and Other Key Investors' Strategic Thinking behind New WiMAX Joint Venture

Email this Story | Respond to Editor | Print

Comtex

DUBLIN, Ireland, Jun 19, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/663491/sprint_nextel_cle) has announced the addition of the "Sprint Nextel, Clearwire, and Other Key Investors' Strategic Thinking behind New WiMAX Joint Venture" report to their offering.

In early May 2008 Sprint Nextel and Clearwire announced plans to create a new company with investments from companies such as Intel, Comcast, Google, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The new company will take control of Sprints existing XOHM service, continue to roll out WiMAX networks throughout the United States and offer mobile broadband services. This report examines major investors strategic considerations behind their involvement in the new company, which will provide a boost for the development of WiMAX in North America, a key region for the future success of the technology.

The establishment of the new company is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2008, so network deployment this year is expected to slow down. Also, the new company will have to contend with issues such as attracting sufficient capital to compete in the communications market, and harmonizing the diverging interests of all involved stakeholders.

The report:

- Examines the recently announced WiMAX venture of Sprint Nextel, Clearwire and other investors

- Analyzes the strategic considerations of the major investors involved in the new WiMAX company, including Sprint Nextel, Clearwire, Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks.

Key Topics Covered:

- Background

- Strategic Considerations of the New Clearwires Investors

Companies mentioned:

- Sprint Nextel

- Cable TV Operators

- Intel

- Google

- Clearwire

- Comcast

- Time Warner Cable

- Bright House Networks

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/663491/sprint_nextel_cle

SOURCE: Research and Markets

Research
   and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager Fax from USA: 646-607-1907 Fax from rest of the world: +353-1-481-1716 press@researchandmarkets.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008 ********************************************************************** As of Sunday,
   06-15-2008 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend� Alert, an automated pattern recognition system, indicated an UPTREND on 04-23-2008
   for S @ $7.39. As of Sunday, 06-15-2008 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend Alert, an automated pattern recognition system,
   indicated an UPTREND on 04-30-2008 for TWC @ $28.16. For more information on SmarTrend, contact your market data provider
   or go to www.mysmartrend.com SmarTrend is a registered trademark of Comtex News Network, Inc. Copyright � 2004-2008 Comtex
   News Network, Inc. All rights reserved.