News Analysis The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta cut its forecast for real GDP growth in the third quarter of 2021, suggesting that the United States is barely expanding and could be on the cusp of contraction. According to the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model, the U.S. economy is projected to grow at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.5 percent in the July–September period. This is down from the 1.2 percent projection on October 15 and six percent from two months ago. In May, the institution anticipated growth of 14 percent. Atlanta Fed economists also predict that third-quarter real personal consumption expenditures and private domestic investment growth will slide to 0.4 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively. The next GDPNow update will be released on October 27. Peter Boockvar, the chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group, said, “it’s higher inflation and these supply problems that’s causing a slowdown in growth.” …