Updated on
Summary Economists had predicted more modest growth of 1.8 percent.
Stocks are edging higher in early trading on Wall Street after the government reported a slight pickup in U.S. economic growth.The gains were held in check by poor earnings reports from Goodyear Tire & Rubber and the lumber and real estate company Weyerhauser.The Dow Jones industrial average was up 20 points at 13,123 shortly after the opening bell Friday.The Standard & Poors 500 index was up three at 1,416 and the Nasdaq composite rose 11 to 2,997.The Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy expanded at a 2 percent annual rate from July through September. In addition to stronger consumer spending, a critical piece of the nations economic recovery, government spending also added to growth.Economists had predicted more modest growth of 1.8 percent.
