U.S. economic growth for last quarter is revised down to a 2.1% annual rate
LA TimesA worker prepares materials and construction parts at the Boeing Interiors Responsibility Center in North Charleston, S.C., on May 31. The Commerce Department’s second estimate of growth last quarter marked a slight acceleration from a 2% annual growth rate from January through March. Though the economy has been slowed by the Federal Reserve’s strenuous drive to tame inflation with interest rate hikes, it has managed to keep expanding, with employers still hiring and consumers still spending. Wednesday’s report on the nation’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — showed that growth last quarter was driven by upticks in consumer spending, business investment and outlays by state and local governments. Wednesday’s government report, its second of three estimates of last quarter’s growth, will be followed by a final calculation late next month.