Canada's Fourth-Quarter Economic Growth Is Fastest

<br>Canada’s economy expanded at a 5 percent annualized rate in the fourth quarter, faster than predicted by the Bank of Canada, raising pressure on policy makers to increase interest rates later this year.<br><br> Gross domestic product grew at the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2000, Statistics Canada said today in Ottawa. The median estimate of 23 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a 4.2 percent expansion, and the Bank of Canada had projected a 3.3 percent gain.