(MarketWatch) The U.S. economy grew in the fourth quarter -- but just barely -- instead of contracting for the first time in 3 1/2 years, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The U.S. expanded at a 0.1% annual rate in the last three months of 2012, better than the initially reported 0.1% drop but well below the third quarter's 3.1% pace.
Stronger residential construction and an improvement in net exports pushed growth into positive territory. They offset a bigger decline in government spending than previously suggested, as well as a sharper deceleration in the buildup of business inventories.
