The economy in the U.S. probably grew at a faster pace in the third quarter, reflecting a pickup in consumer spending that bodes well for the recovery’s staying power, economists projected a report this week will show.

Gross domestic product rose at a 2 percent annual pace, up from a 1.7 percent rate in the previous three months, according to the median estimate of 67 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before an Oct. 29 Commerce Department report. Other data may show business investment remains a mainstay of the economic rebound, while housing is mired in a slump.

“This is definitely good news for the New York real estate market which has seen significant improvements in activity, reduced inventories and the anticipation of significant bonus dollars about to enter the markets,” says Leonard Steinberg, managing director of Prudential Douglas Elliman and publisher of LUXURYLETTER.

The question is: If growth is good, and better than we have been told, why is good not good enough? Surely with an economic meltdown as cataclysmic as the one we just experienced, we should not expect a speedier recovery?