The report, released in the middle of the European trading day, put the latest estimate of fourth-quarter economic growth at 4.5 percent.

The Government will publish its first estimate of fourth-quarter growth on Friday.

He said the likelihood of disappointing earnings was diminishing and that fourth-quarter growth could surge above 40 percent.

Still, we exited last year with 8.6 percent fourth-quarter growth.

How scared should the bond market be of fourth-quarter growth?

Revised figures on fourth-quarter growth are expected this morning from the Commerce Department.

But with estimates of fourth-quarter growth already running from 4 to 7 percent, the latest data had little influence on the credit markets.

At the same time, they have increased their forecast of fourth-quarter growth to 5.5 percent from 4.3 percent.

They expect fourth-quarter growth to be weaker, between 2 and 2.75 percent, for several reasons.

And whatever happened yesterday, the wild card remains the Government's report on fourth-quarter growth in the gross domestic product, set for release tomorrow morning.