"The way things are going . . . " (2,4,4)
(Another definition for at this rate that I've seen is " if the situation stays as it is".)
'the way things are going' is the definition.
(as in a current trend)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for trend that I've seen before include "Current fashion" , "Mode" , "swing" , "General tendency" , "General direction of change" .)