U.S. economy stalls in first quarter as activity weakens broadly

By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. economic growth braked sharply in the first quarter to its slowest pace in two years as consumer spending softened and a strong dollar continued to undercut exports, but a pick-up in activity is anticipated given a buoyant labor market. Gross domestic product increased at a 0.5 percent annual rate, the weakest since the first quarter of 2014, the Labor Department said on Thursday in its advance estimate, also as businesses stepped up efforts to reduc