GDP Grew Just 0.7% for End of 2015

The U.S. economy ran out of steam for the final months of 2015, with the fourth-quarter gross domestic product growing just 0.7 percent in the October to December period, according to Commerce Department numbers. Plummeting oil prices, consumers’ hestitant holiday spending, and a strong U.S. dollar all contributed to the weak performance, analysts said. Economists had expected the figure to come in at just under 1 percent, after a 2 percent gain in the third quarter and 3.9 percent in the second period.