U.S. economic growth slowed in the first quarter although not as sharply as initially thought, amid a surge in spending on home building and a steady increase in inventory investment by businesses. Gross domestic product rose at a 0.8 percent annual rate as opposed to the 0.5 percent pace reported last month, the Commerce Department said in its second GDP estimate on Friday. It was the weakest growth since the first quarter of 2015. The upward revision to first-quarter GDP growth also reflected a smaller drag from trade than previously reported. The government also reported a rebound in after-tax corporate profits, ... (full story)