America’s economy expanded at an annualized pace of 2.3 percent in the third quarter, up 0.2 of a percentage point from earlier preliminary estimates and beating economists’ expectations, according to revised data from the Commerce Department. The updated economic growth figures, released Dec. 22, show that the U.S. economy grew faster in the third quarter than the Commerce Department’s prior “advance” projection of 2.1 percent, largely on the back of an upward revision to personal spending and private inventory investment. Consensus forecasts expected the agency’s third and final revision to show the economy grew at a 2.1 percent pace. The final third-quarter GDP number was sharply lower than the 6.7 percent pace of growth in the second quarter, with the Commerce Department blaming the Q3 deceleration on a slowdown in consumer spending as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases sparked new restrictions and business reopening delays. Economists are generally predicting a solid rebound …