KEY POINTS
  • U.S. economic growth was a bit stronger than initially thought in the second quarter.
  • It was the economy's best performance in nearly four years.
  • Businesses boosted spending on software and imports declined.

U.S. economic growth was a bit stronger than initially thought in the second quarter, notching its best performance in nearly four years, as businesses boosted spending on software and imports declined.

Gross domestic product increased at a 4.2 percent annualized rate, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday in its second estimate of GDP growth for the April-June quarter. That was slightly up from the 4.1 percent pace of expansion it reported in July and was the fastest rate since the third quarter of 2014.