U.S. economic growth unexpectedly accelerated in the second quarter of 2023, the Commerce Department revealed in a preliminary report released on Thursday.
The report said real gross domestic product surged by 2.4 percent in the second quarter after jumping by 2.0 percent in the first quarter. Economists had expected the pace of GDP growth to slow to 1.8 percent.
The Commerce Department said the unexpected acceleration in GDP primarily reflected an upturn in private inventory investment and an acceleration in nonresidential fixed investment.
The positive contributions were partly offset by a downturn in exports and decelerations in consumer spending, federal government spending, and state and local government spending.
