Forecasts of U.S. GNP Growth Raised

Unexpected strength in the U.S. economy has led many analysts to double their estimates of growth for the first part of the year, some pegging it as high as 3% rather than the puny 1% they thought earlier.

But some economists, noting continued high interest rates as well as the warm weather and other special factors pushing growth so far this year, say the pace cannot be sustained.

And inflation, running hotter than expected, is also a worry.

The gross national product--the nation’s output of goods and services--grew 3% in 1989 but had slowed to a rate of 1.1% in the final quarter of the year. The figures for the first three months of 1990 will be released today.

Where many private economists had predicted growth of between 1% and 1.5% for the January-March period, they now foresee an increase between 2% and 2.5%. Some believe that it could be as high as 3%.

While opinions differ on the growth rate during the rest of this year, there is virtual unanimity that the Federal Reserve Board has achieved its “soft landing”--slowing the economy without tipping it into a recession.