The U.S. economy eked out anemic growth in the final three months of 2015, and the struggling performance of the oil and gas sector was a major contributor to the slowdown. Real gross domestic product rose at an annualized rate of 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter, down from 2.0 percent in the third and 3.9 percent in the second, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported on Friday. The economy was buffeted by a broad-based slowdown in consumer, business and government spending growth, as well as a deterioration in trade performance thanks to the strengthening currency. The data was contained in the latest edition of the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) released on Jan. 29 which contained advance estimates for the fourth quarter of 2015. Consumer spending […]