The Commerce Department said the U.S. economy grew at a 2.4% annual rate in the second quarter, an increase from the 2% gain in Q1, defying both expectations and attempts by the Federal Reserve to slow it down to curb inflation. Economists are now scaling back their prediction that national output will be pushed into a recession this year due to recent interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve to reduce inflation. The central bank has raised the benchmark rate 11 times since last year. A unanimous decision in late July by the Federal Open Market Committee raised the benchmark rate to a range of 5.25% to 5.5%, a 22-year high. Read More…