US economy returns to pre-pandemic size, grows 1.6% in Q2: Report

On an annualised basis, second-quarter growth was 6.5 per cent

The US economy grew solidly in the second quarter (Q2), pulling the level of gross domestic product (GDP) above its pre-pandemic peak, as massive government aid and vaccinations against Covid-19 fueled spending on goods and travel-related services.

GDP, the broadest measure of economic output, grew 1.6 per cent in Q2, the commerce department said Thursday, up from 1.5 per cent in the first three months of the year. 

GDP increased at a 6.5 per cent annualised rate last quarter, the commerce department said. The economy grew at an unrevised 6.4 per cent rate in the first quarter. Economists polled by