US GDP growth slows to 1.5% in Q2, missing expectations
ANSA English (Italy)—US economic growth slowed to a 1.5% annualized rate in the second quarter, coming in below economist expectations and adding to signs the post-pandemic expansion is cooling. The miss raises the stakes for upcoming Fed decisions, since a weaker growth trajectory alongside persistent inflation narrows the central bank's room to maneuver on rates. The slowdown isn't uniquely American: Italy's statistics agency reported second-quarter GDP growth of just 0.2%, underscoring that developed economies broadly are losing momentum this year. Neither report specifies which sectors dragged most on the US figure, leaving the composition of the slowdown — consumer spending versus business investment — unclear.