Video: 'US economic growth is sustainable' Since then, America has faced much larger financial strains. Last year, the US looked as if it was going to run out of money - with the decision to print dollars taken less than 24 hours before the state's funds ran dry. There is some positive news from across the pond however. The US managed a positive rate of economic growth of 1.5pc, compared with our contraction of 0.5pc in quarter two of this year. And it was revealed in the recent results season that 37pc of US companies outperformed expectations, compared with just 25pc for the UK and Europe. The oil and gas sector has seen positive share price movement after oil discoveries in North Dakota and commodities company Apache making one of the world's largest shale gas discoveries in north-eastern British Columbia. Cheaper fuel also raises disposable income for the American consumer, boosting the retail sector. Rebecca Young, the manager of the Neptune US Income fund, likes several stocks in the retail space, as well as being bullish on American house builders and energy. "There are great dividend paying stocks across all sectors - I am not forced into the defensive utilities stocks which are overvalued at present," she said in the latest "Your Money Their Hands" video. Research earlier this year from Investec Wealth & Investment showed that from the top 100 global companies based on yield, 15 were from North America, while just five were from the UK. The telecommunications and utilities sectors are currently the sectors paying the highest dividends, with averages of 5.6pc and 4.3pc respectively.