By now, Q3 GDP - which should have been reported almost two months ago - is ancient history but it still matters in a world where the Fed's every sneeze is overanalyzed. Which is why the report by the Bureau of Economic Analysis that in Q3 US GDP surged by 4.3%, up from an already hot 3.8% in Q2 and driven by a spike in consumer spending, will surely raise some eyebrows (for those wondering, this report was originally supposed to hit on Oct 30, and the second estimate was scheduled for Nov 26; none of that happened due to the govt shutdown). This was the highest annualized quarterly GDP print since Q3 2023. (full story)