News U.S. economy shrank 4.8% in the 1st quarter amid state shutdowns, millions of layoffs April 29, 2020April 29, 2020Paul Davidson, USA TODAYComments Off on U.S. economy shrank 4.8% in the 1st quarter amid state shutdowns, millions of layoffs The U.S. economy contracted 4.8% in the first quarter as the coronavirus outbreak shut down businesses and sparked millions of layoffs.