Wall Street Journal (07/30/14) Eric Morath; Nick Timiraos

U.S. gross domestic product increased a seasonally adjusted 4.0% in the second quarter, according to the advance estimate released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had forecast growth of 3.0% for the quarter. The growth may signal that the economy is improving following a first-quarter contraction. The economy shrank 2.1% in the first quarter, based on revisions to the previous estimate, and grew just 1.0% during the first half of the year. Annual revisions indicate the economy expanded at a 4.0% pace in the second half of 2013, the best six-month stretch in 10 years.