- The U.S. economy grew faster than first thought in the third quarter, according to updated data released Wednesday.
The annualized rate of gross domestic product growth in the three months through September ticked up to 2.1% from 2.0% in second quarter. The first reading at the end of October had suggested growth had stayed stuck at 2.0%.
Other short-term data released on Wednesday also pointed to the sustained health of the economy: initial jobless claims fell to 213,000 from 223,000 the previous week, while core durable goods orders, which exclude some of the more volatile and "lumpy" parts of industrial activity, rose a stronger-than-expected 0.6% in October, their biggest gain in four months and a rebound from a 0.4% drop in September.
