Economics
Consumer-Spending Bump Offset by Inventories in Revised U.S. GDP
- Economy grew at unrevised 2.1% annualized pace last quarter
- Consumption is forecast to cool from period’s 3.2% gain
People walk through The Shops at Columbus Circle mall in New York.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
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Americans’ spending grew by more than previously reported in the third quarter, a change offset by a drag in inventories that left economic growth at a still-healthy but unrevised 2.1%.
Consumer outlays, which make up two-thirds of the economy, rose at a 3.2% annualized pace in the July-September period, up from a previously reported 2.9% gain, according to the Commerce Department’s third estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product released Friday.