The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation has released the Q3 2019 Equipment Leasing & Finance Industry Snapshot, an indispensable resource for industry participants to incorporate into executive briefings and presentations. The presentation slide deck summarizes the current conditions and projections for the U.S. economy and equipment finance industry with clear, easy-to-digest charts and short narratives of key trends.
 
Among the range of details in the new release:
 
•   The U.S. economy expanded to a 3.1% annualized growth rate in Q1, a notable improvement from Q4 2018’s 2.2% growth and above the 30-year quarterly average of 2.5%.
•   Growth in Q1 was driven by net exports, inventories and government spending.
•   Economic headwinds include trade tensions among top U.S. trade partners and worsening U.S. manufacturing performance.
•   A thriving oil sector and dovish Federal Reserve policy around interest rates are top economic tailwinds.
•   Additional economic factors to watch are the success of China’s economic stimulus efforts, diverging U.S. small and big business outlooks, and the potential for a slowdown in consumer spending.
•   New business volume growth reported in ELFA’s Monthly Leasing and Finance Index had a slow start in the beginning of the year, but has significantly improved in Q2.
 
Prepared by Keybridge Research and updated quarterly, the snapshot is available for free download at https://www.leasefoundation.org/industry-resources/industry-snapshot/