ready to fly again, page-4

It will bounce again, the numbers will be seen through.

By Timothy R. Homan

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. economy shrank the most since 1982 in the fourth quarter as consumer spending recorded the worst slide in the postwar era, a trajectory that’s likely to continue in coming months.

The 3.8 percent annual pace of contraction in the final three months of last year was less than forecast, with a buildup of unsold goods cushioning the blow. Without the jump in inventories, the decline would have been 5.1 percent, the Commerce Department said today in Washington.