The U.S. economy ended 2004 with brisk momentum on the strongest surge of corporate profits in three years, growing at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, the government reported on Wednesday.
The fourth-quarter reading on the gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, was the same as a previous estimate made a month ago.
That was slightly less than the 4 percent GDP pace that Wall Street analysts had forecast, but still reflected healthy growth, only slightly less than the third quarter’s 4 percent rate.
