America's gross domestic product grew at 1.9% in the third quarter, a slight decrease from the previous quarter's 2% growth.

Consistent consumer spending, federal and state government spending and improvement in the housing market offset a decline in business and private investments, according to a report from the Bureau of Economic Affairs.

The report showed that the discrepancy between consumer and business spending continued into the third quarter from the second, a side effect of the ongoing trade war with China. Additionally, compared with 2018's third quarter, output grew at 2%, which marks the weakest quarterly year-over-year rate since 2016's final quarter, The Wall Street Journal reported .

Consumer spending rose to a 2.9% annual rate in the third quarter, compared to a 4.6% rate in the second. Spending on big items, like appliances and vehicles, came in with an annual rate of 7.6% and spending decreased from the second quarter to 1.7% in the third, according to the report.

Personal saving was $1.34 trillion in the third quarter compared to $1.32 trillion in the second and the personal saving rate was up slightly to 8.1%. Additionally, disposable personal income, income available for spending or saving, increased $172.8 billion, or 4.5%. That figure is less than the $244.2 billion increase in the second quarter, a reflection of a downturn in personal income.

In business, nonresidential fixed investment fell at a rate of 3%, marked by a sharp 15.3% decline in spending on structures.