US Economy Grows Slowly, But at Faster Pace Than First Thought

Source: VOA
Date: May 27, 2017

Window shoppers look into a store in Miami Beach, Florida, April 26, 2017.

The U.S. economy expanded at a slightly faster pace than first estimated during the first quarter of this year.
今年第一季度，美国经济增速略高于最初预期。

The Commerce Department's Friday report shows expansion at a 1.2 percent annual rate in January, February and March. That is nearly twice as fast as the preliminary estimate, but slower than the end of last year, and much more slowly than the 3 percent rate of expansion that the Trump administration says it will achieve.
商务部于本周五（ 5 月 26 日）发布了经济运行报告。报告显示，在今年第一季度，美国经济增长率为 1.2% 。这一数字达到了最初预期的近两倍，但仍低于去年年末，也远低于特朗普政府所承诺的 3% 。

Officials routinely revise growth estimates as more complete data becomes available.
随着相关数据不断完善，官方定期调整经济增长预期。

Many experts say the economy is growing slowly because aging baby boomers are leaving the work force to retire, and productivity growth has been disappointingly slow.
许多专家表示，随着婴儿潮一代逐渐衰老、退休，经济增长有所放缓，生产力增长也持续乏力，令人失望。

The chief economist of PNC Bank, Gus Faucher, says growth is "bouncing back" in the second quarter. Faucher says he expects the U.S. economic growth will bounce around somewhat and expand at a 2.3 percent rate this year. Faucher also expects the growth rate to be about the same next year.
PNC银行的首席经济学家 Gus Faucher 预计，今年的经济增长率将“回弹”并保持在 2.3% 左右，这一数字预计将维持到明年。

A separate report shows new orders for manufactured goods declined in April. The seven-tenths of a percent decrease followed several months of gains.
另一份报告显示，在经历数月的持续增长后，今年四月份，制造品新订单缩减了 0.7 个百分点。

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Commerce Department 商务部

manufactured goods 制造品，工业品