Article: Economy still has a kick; Robust consumer spending spurs growth.(NEWS)

It might not be golden, but the U.S. economy still has a shine to it.

In the face of falling stock prices, plummeting confidence and rising layoffs, consumers kept the economy out of a recession and growing at an annual rate of 2 percent during the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Purchases of automobiles and appliances outweighed a drop in business spending, and the 2 percent rise in gross domestic product (GDP) was twice as fast as growth at the end of last year and faster than most economists predicted.

"There are a lot of things that have hit this economy, and it hasn't caused a recession," said Art ...

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