WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US economy contracted in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession as stringent measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus almost shut down the country, ending the longest expansion in the nation's history.
The decline in gross domestic product (GDP) reflected a plunge in economic activity in the last two weeks of March, which saw millions of Americans seeking unemployment benefits.
The Commerce Department's snapshot of first-quarter GDP on Wednesday reinforced analysts' predictions that the economy was already in a deep recession.