US economy expands by 2pc in third quarter It has struggled to exceed a 2pc growth pace and remains about 4.5m jobs short of where it stood when the downturn started. Consumers, however, largely shrugged off the impending sharp cuts in government spending and higher taxes, which are due at the start of the year absent congressional action. Indeed, they went on a bit of a shopping spree as the quarter wound down, buying a range of goods - including automobiles and Apple's iPhone 5. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70pc of US economic activity, grew at a 2pc rate after increasing 1.5pc in the prior period. High stock prices and firming house values have made households a bit more willing to take on new debt, supporting consumer spending. However, incomes were squeezed in the last quarter, causing households to save less to fund their purchases. The amount of income available to households after accounting for inflation and taxes rose at a tepid 0.8pc rate in the third quarter, slowing for a brisk 3.1pc pace the prior period. The saving rate slowed to a 3.7pc rate after increasing 4pc in the second quarter. The faster pace of spending was achieved despite a spike in inflation pressures as gasoline prices rose. A price index for personal spending rose at a 1.8pc rate, accelerating from the second quarter's 0.7pc pace. But a core inflation measure that strips out food and energy costs slowed to a 1.3pc rate after rising 1.7pc in the prior quarter, suggesting the increase in overall price pressures will be temporary. With about 23m Americans either out of work or underemployed, there are fears the current pace of spending will not be sustained, especially if gasoline prices maintain their recent upward march and families get a higher tax bill in 2013. The automatic tax hikes and government spending cuts, known as the "fiscal cliff," will drain about $600 billion out of the economy next year absent congressional action. Fiscal cliff fears have already hammered business spending, which dropped at a 1.3pc pace in the third quarter, falling for the first time since the first three months of 2011. Part of the drag in business investment, which had been a source of strength for the economy, came from equipment and software, where outlays were the weakest since the second quarter of 2009. Spending on nonresidential structures contracted after five straight quarters of growth. In contrast, home building surged at a 14.4pc rate, thanks in large part to the Federal Reserve's ultra accommodative monetary policy stance, which has driven mortgage rates to record lows. Inventories were a drag on growth because of a drought in the country's Midwest, which has decimated crops. Farm inventories cut 0.42 percentage points from GDP growth. In addition, slowing global demand, particularly weakness in Europe and China, caused US exports to contract for the first time since the first quarter of 2009. That left a trade deficit that weighed on GDP growth. But there was surprisingly good news on government spending, which snapped eight straight quarters of declines on a strong rebound in defense outlays.