GDP rise is fastest in nearly a year

But quarterly gain hardly means end to economic woes

A tugboat passes a cargo ship at the Port of Newark this week. A surge in exports, explained in part by the weak US dollar, helped drive up gross domestic product at a 3.3 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter. (mark Lennihan/Associated Press)

WASHINGTON - The economy pulled out of a dangerous rough patch in the spring, thanks largely to strong exports - but the rebound isn't expected to last. Economic slowdowns overseas could make exports tail off just as Americans are hunkering down after the impact of tax-rebate checks wanes, plunging the country into another rut later this year.

"There will be heavy sledding for the US economy during the next couple of quarters," predicted Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Bank of America's Investment Strategies Group.

Gross domestic product, or GDP, grew at a 3.3 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, its fastest pace in nearly a year, the Commerce Department reported yesterday. The revised reading was much better than the government's initial estimate of 1.9 percent and exceeded economists' expectations for a 2.7 percent growth rate.

The rebound followed two dismal quarters. The economy actually shrank in the final three months of 2007 and barely budged in the first quarter at a minuscule 0.9 percent pace. The 3.3 percent growth in the spring was the best performance since the third quarter of last year, when the economy was chugging along at a 4.8 percent pace.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said the numbers demonstrated the economy's resilience in the face of many challenges. But she added: "No one is doing a victory dance."

Others agreed that the growth pickup wasn't a sign of better days ahead. Analysts predict the second quarter will represent the high point for economic activity this year.

It's "the last hurrah for this economic cycle," said Martin Regalia, chief economist for the US Chamber of Commerce.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has warned the economy will be weak through the rest of 2008. Economists believe growth will slow in the July-September quarter to around 1.5 percent, and will turn even weaker in the fourth quarter. Some, including Regalia, think the economy might jolt into reverse yet again.

On Wall Street, the GDP report lifted stocks. The Dow Jones average jumped 212.67, to 11,715.18.

For months, housing, credit, and financial troubles have hammered the economy.

In turn, employers have clamped down on hiring, driving the nation's unemployment rate up to 5.7 percent in July, a four-year high. The Labor Department said yesterday that the number of people signing up for jobless benefits declined last week for the third straight period, but remained above 400,000 - an indicator of a slowing economy.

Employers have cut jobs every month this year, and wage growth is trailing inflation. That combination raises concerns about the future of consumer spending, a pillar of the economy.

The biggest factor in the GDP's second-quarter rebound was robust sales of US exports. The weaker value of the dollar has bolstered those sales, which accounted for half of the gain in GDP. Exports grew at a 13.2 percent pace in the spring, more than double the 5.1 percent growth rate logged in the first quarter.

Imports, meanwhile, fell at a 7.6 percent annualized pace in the spring, as US economic troubles crimped demand for foreign-made goods. The improved trade picture added 3.1 percentage points to second-quarter GDP, the most since 1980.

US consumers did boost their spending at a 1.7 percent pace in the second quarter, though, the best showing in nearly a year. Government stimulus checks of up to $600 a person helped energize shoppers. But many expect consumers to pull back as unemployment rises, paychecks shrink, and their biggest asset - their homes - continues to sink in value.