of 3.3% in the last three months of 2023 much stronger than expected. that s raised hopes that the us federal reserve might have achieved a soft landing getting inflation under control by raising borrowing costs without crashing the economy. the strong economic numbers helped stoke an ongoing rally on us stock markets. both the dowjones industrial average and s&p 500 closed at new record highs on thursday. and traders weren t the only ones celebrating. the gdp figures have been seized upon by president biden, who is battling for re election. he s been suffering poor approval ratings for his handling of the economy, as american households feel the impact of higher prices on their finances. from new york, here s michelle fleury. for an economy many said was headed for recession, the us continues to defy expectations. in the final three months of last year, the american economy grew faster than expected, expanding at an annual rate of 3.3% while inflation fell. growth for th