India, Dec. 25 -- Some numbers lie, and many are true. A few are not just astounding but gob-smacking. Both these thoughts came to my mind when I read reports that the US economy grew by a mind-blowing 4.3 per cent in the third quarter of this calendar year. Most analysts forecasted that the best possible scenario during this period of tariff wars, mercantilism, and often inexplicable behavior of the president, Donald Trump, was a growth rate of 3+ per cent. More than four per cent growth rate is indeed beyond remarkable.

Look at it this way. There are more than 180 nations whose GDP is less than $1 trillion each. But if the US grows at a pace of four per cent in an entire year it adds $1.2 trillion to its economy. In other words, in jus...