NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The U.S. economy is in no danger of a "double-dip" recession, thanks to robust automobile sales, a strong housing market, low inflation and low interest rates, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said Tuesday in advance of President Bush's economic forum.

"[The economy is] slow, but we're still on the positive side, and I continue to believe we're going to end the year with a respectable growth rate in the 3 percent range," O'Neill told CNNfn's CNNmoney Morning program.

O'Neill was speaking hours before the beginning of an economic forum hosted in by President Bush in Waco, Texas, and a meeting of Federal Reserve policy makers in Washington. Most observers expect little to be gained from the day's discussions, however -- the Fed is not expected to cut rates, and the President is unlikely to come up with new economic policy at the forum.