Definition: The corporate profit figure is released quarterly by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The corporate profit statistic tracks the amount of profit corporations earn after paying taxes, interest and distributing dividends. It is a major gauge of the health of the economy as corporate spending spurns economic growth. The Corporate Profit report is comprised of several measures: profits from current production, book profits, and after-tax profits. After-tax profits are the most relevant and are vital for corporate growth and the economy because they move in the same direction as GDP. As seen from the chart below, positive corporate profits have corresponded with the current bull market which has lasted nearly four years.

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