Battered by surging consumer prices and rising interest rates, the United States economy shrank at a 0.6 percent annual rate from April through June, the government has announced, unchanged from its previous second-quarter estimate.The data released Thursday marked the second consecutive quarter of economic contraction, one informal rule of thumb for a recession. Most economists, citing a strong and resilient American job market, believe the world’s biggest economy is not yet in a downturn. But they worry that it might be headed for one as the US Federal Reserve ratchets up interest rates to combat inflation.Consumer spending grew at a 2 percent annual rate, but that gain was offset by a drop in business inventories and housing investment.
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