The U.S. economy may have expanded at a 5 percent annual rate from October through December

The U.S. economy may have expanded at a 5 percent annual rate from October through December as businesses boosted production to replenish inventories and invested more in new equipment, according to a survey of economists in advance of today's Commerce Department report. Such a rise in gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, would follow an 8.2 percent annual pace in the third quarter -- the strongest in two decades. The forecast is based on the median estimate of 69 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. The 6.6 percent average pace of growth in the second half of 2003 would be the strongest since the first six months of 1984. Texas Instruments Inc. and Xilinx Inc. are among manufacturers accelerating assembly lines to replace depleted stocks after demand surged. Economic growth is broadening as corporate investment rises, housing construction surges and exports rise, suggesting the world's largest economy is becoming less dependent on consumer spending as its sole driver. The report is set for 8:30 a.m. in Washington.