By Shobhana Chandra
Aug. 1 (Bloomberg) -- The worst U.S. economic slump
since the Great Depression abated in the second quarter
as government spending programs started to kick in,
while the sharpest pullback by consumers since 1980
augured a muted recovery.
Gross domestic product shrank at a better-than-forecast
1 percent annual pace after a 6.4 percent drop the
prior three months, Commerce Department figures showed
yesterday in Washington. A survey of purchasing managers
showed separately that
