THE US economy expanded at a slightly less robust rate in the second quarter than previously thought, the Commerce Department said yesterday, though it still surged ahead at the fastest rate in two years.

The nation's gross domestic product, or GDP, grew at a 4.7 per cent annual rate instead of 4.8 per cent in the three months from April through June, the government said in a final revision of second quarter activity.

The pace of expansion already has begun to slow since mid year, with most analysts forecasting growth in a range of about 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent in the final six months of the year.

The last time the economy grew more vigorously was in the second quarter of 1994, when it boomed ahead at a 4.9 per cent annual rate.

Most of the final second quarter revisions were small and the Commerce Department said they did not significantly change its earlier figures.