Many economists believe GDP growth this quarter could hit 3 percent or better. The Federal Reserve's Atlanta regional bank is forecasting GDP growth could hit 3.3 percent this quarter. The report on third quarter growth was the government's third and final look at the quarter. — The 1.5 percent annual GDP gain last year was the weakest performance in six years, since the economy contracted by 2.9 percent in 2009. —GDP growth has averaged around 2 percent in the current recovery, which is now in its ninth year and is the third longest in U.S. history.

Source: ABC News December 21, 2017 13:35 UTC