Sometimes, the world's largest economy is not picking up with expectations. In the second quarter, the US GDP growth rate decreased and amounted to 2.1%. Nevertheless, the US economy is still posting good results, but they do not usually come in line with expectations. The US GDP growth stood at 2.1% against forecasts of 2.4% in the second quarter of 2023. Indeed, the US managed to avoid a serious decline but the growth rate cannot be called outstanding. On the one hand, the difference between the figures seems insignificant but when it comes to the US, it represents huge amounts of money. The US Department of Commerce explained this slump in GDP by a decline in investment in inventories, as well as an increase in business spending on purchases of equipment and intellectual property products. The department added that the US authorities also contributed to the overall cause, increasing government spending that directly triggered the decline in GDP. Some analysts say that the indicators may point to a recession. However, the majority believe that it is too early to fall to such conclusions as consumer spending in the retail sector is expanding and the labor market is robust now. In late July, analysts at the Bureau of Economic Analysis said that real GDP declined by 0.9% on a yearly basis in the second quarter. As a result, the figures were more optimistic compared to the first quarter when the decline amounted to 1.6%. At the time, Bloomberg warned about growing risks of a recession, as high inflation led to a significant decline in consumer spending.