Moodys lowers US economic outlook through 2012

Moody's Analytics on Monday lowered its outlook for growth in the U.S. economy this year and next, saying it sees "significantly weaker" prospects for the economy than just a month ago as the country struggles to avoid another recession.

"The odds of a renewed recession over the next 12 months, already one in three, will increase if stock prices continue to fall," Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics, says in the report. He said the economy must grow 2.5 percent to 3 percent a year to add jobs fast enough to keep the unemployment rate stable -- something that won't happen soon.