The growth assessment was downgraded by______percent in the second quarter of th

(9)Last week, the Department of Commerce downgraded its growth assessment for the second quarter this year, from 2. 4 percent to 1. 6 percent. Amid ongoing fears of a so-called "double dip" recession, the news was seen as another indication that recovery may have stalled, and it was accompanied by other news about slumping home sales. Unemployment has been stuck at a stubborn 9.5 percent,(10)with hundreds of thousands of Americans struggling in the category of the long-term unemployment—those unable to find jobs for six months or more.