US economy rebounds with 2.6 percent growth rate in third quarter

U.S. economic growth rebounded during the third quarter after six months of steady declines, according to data released Thursday by the Commerce Department.

U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annualized rate of 2.6 percent between July and September, up from declines of 1.6 percent in the second quarter and 0.6 percent in the third quarter of 2022, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday. That means that if the third quarter’s pace of growth lasted 12 months, the U.S. economy would have grown 2.6 percent by the end of that time.

Economists expected U.S. GDP to rise at an annualized rate of 2.3 percent in the third quarter, according to consensus estimates. Yet even though the growth numbers suggest an economy growing relatively strong, there were warnings signs within the report about a slowdown.

“Real GDP increased in the third quarter, but I don’t expect this growth to continue later this year or early next,” wrote John Leer, chief economist at Morning Consult, in a Thursday analysis.