• Fears that US economy is heading for double-dip recession • Barack Obama’s congressional election hopes damaged • White House economist Christina Romer expresses concern The US recovery appears to be faltering after a slowdown in consumer spending dampened growth and fuelled fears of a double dip recession. President Barack Obama’s hopes of a strong showing in November’s congressional elections took a blow as official figures revealed that the US economy grew at an annualised rate of 2.4% in the second quarter compared with 3.7% in the first three months of the year.