#sharp drag

WASHINGTON | US economy grew at strong 3.5 percent rate in Q3

WASHINGTON— The U.S. economy grew at a robust annual rate of 3.5 percent in the July-September quarter as the strongest burst of consumer spending in nearly four years helped offset a sharp drag from trade.

The Commerce Department says the third quarter’s gross domestic product, the country’s total output of goods and services, followed an even stronger 4.2 percent rate of growth in the second…