Slow Economy Seen for 2 Years

HOT SPRINGS, Va. — The nation’s top business leaders predicted today that the economy will slog along with slow growth for the next two years, weighted down by the twin demons of huge trade and budget deficits.

While not forecasting a recession, the executives on the 66-member Business Council were decidedly more pessimistic about the future than just five months ago. Today they predicted economic growth this year of just 2.7% and only a slightly better 2.9% in 1987.