Canada’s Fourth-Quarter Growth Slows to 1.8% on Exports

Canada’s economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter as weaker foreign trade blunted gains in consumer spending and business investment.

Gross domestic product grew at a 1.8 percent annualized pace from October to December, matching economists’ forecasts, following a revised 4.2 percent third-quarter rate, according to data today from Ottawa-based Statistics Canada. Export growth slowed to 4.6 percent from 16 percent, while imports gained 2.2 percent following a 1.5 percent decline.