Anxiety Mounts as US Economy Limps Into 2nd Half

A slew of weak U.S. economic data is casting doubts over expectations of a pick-up in growth in the second half of the year.

From manufacturing to job growth to consumer spending, the numbers have been grim, and economists are wondering whether they need to dial down forecasts for the remainder of the year.

"Our sense was that of a gradual improvement. Now the sense is of muddling along at a low level of activity," said Adolfo Laurenti, deputy chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago. "We went from seeing progress, though gradual and very uneven, to not seeing progress at all."

The economy grew at a 1.9 percent annual pace in the first quarter and estimates for the April-June period are increasingly coming in around 1.5 percent.

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