U.S. nonfarm productivity rose the most in nearly four years in the third quarter but a drop in unit labor costs underlined a lack of inflation pressure, bolstering arguments for the U.S. Federal Reserve to maintain its massive monetary stimulus.
Productivity rose at a 3.0 percent annual rate after increasing at a 1.8 percent pace in the second quarter, the Labor Department said on Monday, driven by a 4.7 percent rise in output.
The data revised up an earlier estimate and was slightly above the 2.8 percent increase analysts forecast in a Reuters poll. It was the largest rise since the fourth quarter of 2009.
