WASHINGTON, DC — The Commerce Department reported that the U .S. economy slowed down to just 0.7% growth in the second quarter, its weakest showing in eight years.
The major drag on the economy was a rather large 13.6% reduction in business spending on new plants and equipment. This was the largest cutback since 1982, when the U.S. was suffering through a major recession.
The housing sector continued to be quite strong. Residential construction increased by a rate of 7.4%.