The US economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the third quarter, the fastest growth in two years, outperforming economists’ expectations on the back of strong consumer spending.
The data released Tuesday, after being delayed by the government shutdown, comes amid lingering uncertainty over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and growing concerns about affordability. But the figures showed that Americans continued to spend, especially on healthcare, even as consumer confidence is declining.
The mixed signals reflect “a layer of policy chaos built on top of an economy that seems surprisingly resilient to that chaos,” a co-host of Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast told Ezra Klein. “Maybe at some point, all that uncertainty… eventually will hit.”
