The latest batch of data on American personal consumption, jobless claims, and manufacturing indicate the economy picked up speed in the third quarter after slowing down in the second quarter.

“Coupled with yesterday’s upward revision to second-quarter gross domestic product, we’re finally starting to puncture the myth about the soft patch,” said the chief economist for RBS Greenwich Capital, Stephen Stanley.

“The reality is the economy slowed in June and that pretty much has basically been it,” Mr. Stanley said.

August data on personal income and spending came in largely as expected and the latest weekly jobless claims were heavily skewed by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan. Personal income rose an as-expected 0.4% in August, while personal spending came in unchanged after surging a revised 1.1% in July, its biggest jump since December 2002. Personal consumption in July had first been reported up 0.8%.

“The most important thing that came out of all the numbers was the big upward revision in July consumption. That will force GDP numbers higher for the third quarter,” Mr. Stanley said.

The American economy expanded at a revised 3.3% pace in the second quarter, up from the 2.8% pace previously reported, but down from 4.5% in the first quarter. Some economists now expect the economy to grow above 4% in the third quarter.

Mr. Stanley has revised his third quarter growth figures up to 4.7%, but said he expects the consensus to be somewhere around 4%.

Peter Kretzmer, senior economist at Bank of America Corp., expects the economy to grow between 4.5% to 5% in the current quarter based on the latest numbers.

“The consumer spending number, while flat in August, was revised up strongly in July. We estimate 4.4% real consumer spending in the third quarter. This is going to push GDP growth to 4.5% to 5% growth – very solid indeed,” he said.

The economic data suggest the Federal Reserve is likely to continue raising rates in November, with another 25-basis-point rate rise likely at that month’s policy meeting, Kretzmer and Stanley said.

Economists also were heartened that personal consumption expenditures excluding food and energy rose at the same year-over-year pace in August as in July, up 1.4%.

“The softer inflation gives the Fed latitude to stick with its measured tightening,” UBS said in a research note.

Initial jobless claims rose by 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 369,000 in the week that ended September 25, the highest level since the week of February 7,the Labor Department said. All of the increase was attributed to disruptions caused by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Ivan, Labor said.

Another positive sign for third-quarter growth was the increase in the Purchasing Management Association of Chicago index of area business activity in September. The index rose to 61.3 in September from 57.3 in August. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the manufacturing sector and a reading below 50 indicates a contraction.

“We’re seeing continued growth in manufacturing activity,” Mr. Stanley said.

“The one element about today’s report that was the most impressive was the snapback in new orders,” said Mr. Stanley of the increase in the survey’s new orders index to 68.7 in September from 58.0 in August.