Gasoline prices have plunged, but the boost to consumer spending has been muted, perplexing economists…. When the tumble in oil and gasoline prices began in mid-2014, experts widely expected it would jolt spending by U.S. consumers and businesses. It hasn’t turned out that way. Instead, the pace of business investment has slowed significantly, due to drags from weak commodity prices, a strong dollar and concern about the global economy. Consumer spending, meanwhile, has been uneven, with car and home sales up, but inflation-adjusted spending at retailers sluggish since the middle of this year. Now, oil and commodity prices are showing still more weakness, with wide ramifications to U.S. industry and the Federal Reserve. Oil prices dipped again Thursday after a report from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries indicated that demand for its crude was lower than previous estimates, though the report also trimmed 2016 projections for supply […]