Watchers of the world's largest economy can breathe easier: growth speeds up as consumers and businesses spend more

摘要

With Americans returning to consumer mode, at least tentatively, and companies stepping up their investment in equipment and software, figures released 27 October by the Commerce Department showed that the US economy grew in the third quarter of 2011 at the fastest pace in a year. Surpassing its pre-recession peak for the first time, gross domestic product - the value of all goods and services produced - rose at a 2.5 per cent annual rate, up from 1.3 per cent in the prior three months.