US PRODUCTIVITY SLUMPS SHARPLY AT 4.8% RATE IN OCTOBER-DECEMBER QUARTER

Highlights

• The report released on Thursday stated that after rising strongly in the first two quarters, the productivity fell at a rate of 4.8 percent in the last quarter

• The labor costs has gone up by 6.8 percent rate in the quarter ended in December after it went down at a 7 percent rate in the previous quarter

• The American gross domestic product (GDP) has expanded at a 4 percent annualized ....