What does “bleed” mean in this context?

Question

What does bleed mean in I think it's going to be a slow bleed?

The big debate is what will happen next. Will the U.S. economy rebound or will it slide into another downturn?

"I think it's going to be a slow bleed," says Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel. "Right now, we're hoping for 1.5% growth on an annual basis. Next year, we could see 1% growth." She projects the U.S. will "just slowly slide into recession over the next couple of years."

Answer 1

It is a figurative use of the term bleed that means:

• an instance of bleeding; hemorrhage: an intracranial bleed.

It refers to the slower and slower pace at with the US economy is growing. The metaphor is that of a human body which becomes weaker and weaker by slowly losing blood (bleeding).