Economy in U.S. Probably Expanded at the Fastest Pace in a Year

The U.S. economy probably grew in the third quarter at the fastest pace this year as gains in consumer spending and business investment helped sustain a recovery on the brink of faltering, economists said before a report today.

Gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, rose at a 2.5 percent annual pace after advancing 1.3 percent in the previous three months, according to the median forecast of 83 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Household purchases, the biggest part of the economy, may have climbed more than twice as fast as in the second quarter.