Wall Street Journal (07/29/12) Neil Shah
The U.S. economy grew just 1.5% in the second quarter as consumers cut their spending and companies grew more reluctant to hire and invest. Growth in the gross domestic product slowed substantially from the first quarter’s 2% annual rate and the fourth quarter’s 4.1% rate. The economic slowdown, coupled with government data indicating the recovery has been weaker than first thought, raises the possibility that a sudden economic jolt from Europe or the U.S. “fiscal cliff” could push the U.S. economy back into recession. However, the White House said Friday that the unemployment rate would fall to 7.9% from the current 8.2% by the end of the year.