The US economy shrunk for the first time since 2009, to the surprise of experts, but not most Americans.
The Commerce Department said the economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.1 percent mainly because companies restocked at a slower rate and the government slashed defense spending. Those trends partly reflected uncertainty late last year about the fiscal cliff, which Congress averted in a deal reached Jan. 1.
July-September quarter, also driven by a drop in U.S. exports, raised concerns about 2013.
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