The third quarter tested the durability of the U.S. economy, and it largely held up. The war in Iran continued, driving oil prices past $100 a barrel and keeping headline inflation stuck near 3.4% even as core inflation continued to cool. Economic growth data sent mixed signals as first-half GDP came in soft but the Atlanta Fed's real-time tracking model points to a sharp third-quarter acceleration, with consensus estimates still calling for a solid expansion. Labor market growth has picked up this year, and the economy that many expected to buckle under geopolitical pressure instead kept moving forward.