Economy grew 3.9 percent in spring

America’s economy grew faster than originally estimated last spring, according to numbers released Friday.

The Commerce Department said that the U.S. experienced a 3.9 percent overall economic growth rate during the April-June quarter, according to reports.

Previous estimates had put growth in that period at 3.7 percent.

The nation’s economy has done better than expected, The Associated Press said, based on boosts in consumer spending, business investment and residential construction.

{mosads}Bloomberg reported on Friday that robust hiring, falling gasoline prices and higher home prices would likely sustain household purchasing power. That accounts for approximately 70 percent of the overall domestic economy, it added.

“Consumer demand is running at a healthy pace, driven by job and income growth,” said Guy Lebas, chief fixed-income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in Philadelphia, before the report. “The expansion continues in 2016.”

The economy rebounded last spring following an anemic first quarter in January through March, which saw a 0.6 percent growth rate stemming from harsh winter weather, a labor dispute in the West Coast’s ports and falling oil prices and subsequent energy sector investments.

The AP reported on Friday that economists are now predicting a 2.5 percent rate for the third quarter of 2016.

Friday’s results offer good news for the White House as it continues its work on improving the economy during President Obama’s second term.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a GOP presidential candidate, has made raising the economic growth rate to 4 percent overall a major focus of his campaign in 2016.

The U.S. economy experienced a 2.4 percent overall growth rate in fiscal year 2014, according to Statista.