Upgrade: GDP Grew 4.4% in the Third Quarter, Showing No Signs of Slowdown

The economy expanded at a faster pace than previously estimated in the third quarter of last year, the Department of Commerce said Thursday.

Gross domestic product, the government’s broad measure of economic performance, rose at a 4.4 percent annual pace, beating analyst estimates. The earlier estimate had the economy growing at a 4.3 percent pace in the August through September period.

This is the strongest pace of growth in two years.

The rapid pace of growth in the second and third quarters of the year defied expectations that policy uncertainty, tariffs, and the government shutdown in October would be a drag on the economy. Instead, consumer spending and business investment have buoyed the economy despite a slowdown in government spending and the government collecting hundreds