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Customers shop at a Home Depot Inc. store in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Economists slashed fourth quarter GDP growth tracking estimates by 0.3 percentage points, to a median of 2.4 percent, according to CNBC/Moody’s Analytics Rapid Update.
The quarter’s growth pace would be the first in three below 3 percent, if it does not turn around.
“The growth news in today’s release was modestly disappointing: real consumer spending increased 0.1 percent in October, a bit shy of expectations, and September consumption growth was revised down a tenth to 0.5 percent. This leaves real annualized consumption growth in 4Q17 tracking around 2.5 percent, down from our prior estimate of 3.0 percent,” wrote JP Morgan chief U.S. economist Michael Feroli.
Diane Swonk, CEO of DS Economics, said she did not change her 2.5 percent forecast. She said better than expected consumption numbers could come in for November and December, as the consumer looks set to spend more this holiday season.
Hurricanes impacted the fall numbers, with September robbing from October as consumers in storm hit areas restocked and repaired damage to homes and vehicles. “The numbers in September were very robust, and we borrowed from October. You still had durable good that were really robust,” said Swonk.
