U.S. ups GDP estimate for last quarter to 6.6%

The U.S. economy grew at a 6.6 percent annual rate last quarter, slightly faster than previously estimated, the government said Thursday in a report that pointed to a sustained consumer-led rebound from the pandemic recession. But worries are growing that the delta variant of the coronavirus is beginning to cause a slowdown. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — accelerated slightly in the April-June quarter from the 6.5 percent it had reported last month. The economy’s expansion last quarter followed a solid 6.3 percent annual growth rate in the January-March quarter.