U.S. GDP up 3.5% in the third quarter but with big boost from falling energy imports and government spending

U.S. GDP up 3.5% in the third quarter but with big boost from falling energy imports and government spending

The first read on third quarter GDP put U.S. economic growth at a 3.5% rate. That’s down from the 4.6% in the second quarter but well above the 3.0% growth expected by economists surveyed by Briefing.com. And the two-quarter trend of 4.6% growth in the second quarter and 3.5% growth in the third quarter is the strongest back-to-back numbers for the economy since the last six months of 2003.