美國經濟增長加快，超出預期
The U.S. economy expanded at a 4.2 percent annual rate in April, May, and June. The second-quarter growth figure is one-tenth of a percent higher than initial estimates.
"The economy is in good shape," according to PNC Bank Chief Economist Gus Faucher. He writes that this is the best "year-over-year increase in three years."
But Faucher also says growth above four percent is "unsustainable" and the economy is "set to slow somewhat in the second half of 2018," and hit 3.4 percent for the whole year. He predicts U.S. economic growth will slow further in 2019 and 2020 as the "stimulus from tax cuts and spending increases fades."
Wednesday's report from the Commerce Department is a routine revision made as more complete data becomes available.
Growth figures were boosted by a decline in imports, particularly petroleum, and by some temporary factors.
One of them is a surge in soybean exports, which were rushed at a faster-than-usual pace to beat tariffs imposed by China, in retaliation for new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese goods.
The new second quarter figures are nearly double the performance in January, February, and March.美國經濟在4月、5月和6月以4.2%的速度增長，這一增速較此前公佈的第二季度初值的增速高出0.1個百分點。
“經濟狀況良好，” PNC銀行首席分析師福奇爾表示。他寫道，這創下“三年來最好的同比增長。”
但福奇爾也表示，超過4%的增速是“不可持續的”，經濟“將在2018年下半年有所放緩”，全年增速將達到3.4%。他預計，隨着“減稅和支出增長的刺激措施逐漸消退”，美國經濟增速將在2019年和2020年進一步放緩。
美國商務部週三發佈的報告是例行修訂，因爲收集到了更完整的數據。
經濟數據增長是受到了進口下降的提振，尤其是石油進口下降，以及一些暫時性因素的影響。
其中一個暫時性因素是大豆出口激增。爲了避免趕上中國對特朗普政府新關稅的報復性關稅，中國以比往常更快的速度進口大豆。
第二季度修正值幾乎是1月、2月和3月經濟增速的兩倍。
