WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Robust US GDP growth continued in the third quarter but at a slower pace as the economy faced mounting headwinds from trade, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Coming just 11 days before nail-biting midterm elections, the figures show the large head of steam still driving the world’s largest economy after tax cuts and fiscal stimulus enacted over the last year.

GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.5 per cent for the July-September period, compared to 4.2 per cent in the prior quarter. This overshot analyst expectations, according to the Government’s preliminary estimate.

The result made for the strongest six-month period since mid-2014, although the strong result is based on preliminary data subject to revision.

President Donald Trump is banking on faster growth to pay for December’s tax cuts, which has driven the US budget deficit to a six-year high in the most recent fiscal year.

Republican candidates appear to have shied away from campaigning on the tax cuts, as some voters remain skeptical of claims they have directly helped ordinary Americans.

Officials said the GDP results also reflected damage from Hurricane Florence, but they could not precisely estimate the impact on growth.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sunday-finance/us-economic-growth-a-robust-3-5-per-cent-in-third-quarter_148050