There’s something strange about the US economy in the first three months of every year. It frequently grows at a much slower pace than in the other nine months. And on May 22, the Government agency charged with calculating the economy’s growth rate said it would adjust its methods in an effort to resolve the problem.
The changes could paint a much different picture of the economy's recent performance. Concerns flared when the Government said late last month that the economy expanded just 0.2 per cent at an annual rate in the first quarter. But many economists have challenged the Government's data, and some have argued the first-quarter figure should be as high as 1.8 per cent instead.