U.S. economic growth likely braked sharply in the third quarter as businesses cut back on restocking warehouses to work off an inventory glut, but solid domestic demand could encourage the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in December. Gross domestic product probably increased at a 1.6 percent annual rate after expanding at a 3.9 percent clip in the second quarter, according to a Reuters survey of economists. But GDP could print slightly higher after data on Wednesday showed a smaller-than-expected goods trade deficit in September. The Commerce Department will release its snapshot of third-quarter GDP on Thursday at 08:30 a.m. (1230 GMT).