Second-Half U.S. Rebound Intact After Hiring Cools: Economy

Economists are sticking with forecasts that the U.S. economy will pick up in the second half of the year even after a slow start in employment.

Gross domestic product will climb at a 2.5 percent annualized rate from July through December, up from a 1.4 percent gain in the first six months of 2013 and little changed from the pace projected last month, according to a Bloomberg survey of 59 economists conducted Aug. 2 to Aug. 6. Labor Department figures last week showed employers added 162,000 workers to payrolls in July, the fewest in four months.