US economy posts slowest growth since 2011

The US economy slowed sharply in the final three months of the year largely due to falling exports, pulling 2016 growth to its lowest since 2011, the Commerce Department reported on Friday. The first estimate of Gross Domestic Product in the October-December period showed growth fell to 1.9 percent, well below the 3.5 percent pace of the third quarter, and short of the consensus estimate by analysts of 2.2 percent. "The deceleration of real GDP in the fourth quarter reflected a downturn in expor