Wall Street Journal (05/15/15) Jon Hilsenrath

Experts have dimmer hopes about U.S. growth potential due to recent soft economic reports, and output could remain flat for the first half of the year. The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to take these developments into account as officials debate when to lift interest rates. Industrial production contracted for the fifth consecutive month in April, while consumer sentiment, retail sales, and trade figures are down. Second-quarter growth is expected to be revised down into negative territory, though few economists believe the U.S. is near recession. Companies are hiring and income and wealth are on the rise.