WASHINGTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Thursday that he believes the U.S. economy is "healthy" and it is successfully transitioning to a moderate and sustainable rate of growth.

    "It is important to take a broad view of the economy and not to rely on a single number or even data for a month or two in forming a judgment," Paulson said in a speech to the Economic Club of Washington.

    "I am watching developments carefully, and I believe that the U.S. economy is healthy," he said, adding the U.S. labor markets are firm; unemployment is low; consumer confidence is rising; inflation is easing; exports are growing and they contributed about 1 percentage point to the fourth-quarter GDP number.

    "And of particular importance to me, working families are now benefiting from this expansion, with real wages up 2.1 percent over the last year," he said.

    "For a number of months now I have believed that the U.S. economy is successfully transitioning to a moderate and sustainable rate of growth, and yesterday's data supports that view," he said.

    The Commerce Department reported Wednesday the U.S. economy grew at 2.2 percent in the final quarter of last year, slower than the 3.5 percent pace initially estimated but up from 2 percent growth in the third quarter.