Business Notes THE ECONOMY

If the U.S. economy had enough momentum going into the October stock-market crash, the country may be able to avoid slumping into a recession. Last week that hope was fortified when the Government announced that the U.S. economy grew at a robust 4.1% annual rate during the third quarter. Two categories that showed increased strength were exports and business investment, which means the U.S. is lessening its dependence on consumer spending.

Another promising sign came from Europe, where the central banks of West Germany, the Netherlands and France made interest-rate cuts to spur faster economic growth. Those expansionary moves should help the U.S. economy, too, by boosting Europe's demand for American products and services.