Consumer Spending Probably Helped Lift U.S. Growth

The economy in the U.S. probably expanded at a faster pace in the third quarter as a gain in consumer spending cushioned against a slump in business investment, economists said before a report today.

Gross domestic product rose at a 1.8 percent annual rate after growing at a 1.3 percent pace the prior quarter, according to the median forecast of 86 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. It would be the first back-to-back readings lower than 2 percent since the U.S. was emerging from the recession in 2009.