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U.S. Economic Growth Quickened Last Quarter With Inventory Boost

  • GDP expanded at 6.9% pace, exceeding economists’ expectations
  • Inventories accounted for most of the growth in fourth quarter
A worker uses a forklift to move packages at a robotics facility in Baltimore.
A worker uses a forklift to move packages at a robotics facility in Baltimore.Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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U.S. economic growth accelerated by more than forecast in the fourth quarter, fueled by the rebuilding of inventories and capping the strongest year since the 1980s.

Gross domestic product expanded at a 6.9% annualized rate following a 2.3% pace in the third quarter, the Commerce Department’s preliminary estimate showed Thursday. That was the strongest quarterly growth in over a year.