US economy drops at 0.6% annual rate from April through June

By PAUL WISEMAN
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Battered by surging consumer prices and rising interest rates, the U.S. economy shrank at a 0.6% annual rate from April through June, the government announced Thursday, unchanged from its previous second-quarter estimate. It 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. Consumer spending grew at a 2% annual rate, but that gain was offset by a drop in business inventories and housing investment.