The outlook for fourth-quarter GDP improved markedly after November’s strong retail sales, and some economists say growth could reach 3 percent for a third quarter in a row for the first time since 2005.
Natixis economist Joseph LaVorgna says it could even hit 4 percent — a target the White House expects to see after tax reform kicks in. But LaVorgna said the fourth quarter is showing signs of strength beyond retail sales, which rose 0.8 percent, more than double expectations and by some measures a more-than-decade high.