![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSLJigbfJnRLrtdJW5CgsUmAZ09eeZg0inadF0QHZI3AL1vp9WIV5-XzLhEukOvJW8ZSJfJAenldbFFmV-W5rlGh5KbaV-mTleg4I2_s6RDILGQS9-9q8kkuglOV3BC7VtOR3Lg/s280/bulltrip.jpg)
Looking at the report more closely though, the top-line GDP result would have been much weaker had it not been for a surprise and truly unusual 18.0% surge in national defense spending that, combined with a healthy increases in other federal, state and local government spending, added over 1% of growth.
Fixed investment and personal consumption, on the other hand, provided significant drags on growth with non-residential investment declining -1.7%, residential investment declining -16.0% and personal consumption expenditures declining -3.8% led by a whopping -14.8% drop-off in durable goods.
The following chart shows real residential and non-residential fixed investment versus overall GDP since Q1 2003 (click for larger version).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFVhi9nes8JNFy1jEvKuzVWv6nS4x103sprfYS3W0RzBy4RehyRfR-sr7CBVHl1V4WC6dNlP0E-6NXqYORsbkLLrwktFQMKHWbnYfJJoWhIsRndqfvQRkGMWX36c0yyGkOe0BDA/s280/gdp03083.jpg)