By bizn_fun 
Growth this year has been buffeted by dramatic changes to trade and immigration policies, as well as cuts to government spending.
But while that has led to sharp swings in some areas, such as imports and exports, the underlying economy has maintained solid momentum.
Analysts said the pick-up in consumer spending in the third quarter of the year was driven by more being spent on health care services.
Imports – which count against growth – continued to decline, reflecting the wave of taxes on shipments entering the US that President Donald Trump announced this spring.
Meanwhile exports, which had dropped sharply, bounced back, surging by 7.4%.