(Photo: AFP)WASHINGTON - US economic growth cooled much more than expected in the final months of 2025, government estimates showed Friday, capping the first year of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. Full-year GDP growth, in turn, came in at 2.2% in 2025, lower than the 2.8% figure for the previous year. Analysts generally expect any hit to economic growth from the record-long shutdown, which lasted from October to mid-November, to be temporary. The fourth quarter figure was a marked slowdown from the 4.4% growth seen in the July to September window. While artificial intelligence investments and spending by well-off families have powered the robust economic growth, it remains unclear if most households will feel uplifted by this boom.

Source: Bangkok Post February 20, 2026 15:13 UTC