Oil down slightly after sharp fall on weak demand Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 5:36 am, Tuesday, April 16, 2013 The Chinese government on Monday said growth in the world's second-largest economy slowed to 7.7 percent in the first quarter from 7.9 percent in the final quarter of last year. Analysts at JBC Energy in Vienna said the large slide in oil prices over the past days was "difficult to justify on fundamental grounds," and was due in part to a general slump in commodity prices — the price of gold fell 9 percent on Monday. Expectations of positive news due for release later Tuesday on the number of new homes being built in the United States and industrial production helped oil prices erase most of their losses on Tuesday. Brent crude, which is used to price oil used by many U.S.