Oil bounces after steep slide, but growth fears still weigh

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil surged on Wednesday, erasing some of the steep losses that have taken crude benchmarks to lows not seen in 1-1/2 years on perceptions the price slide has gone too far, too fast.Both U.S. and Brent crude were more than 6 percent higher on Wednesday, but it was unclear if the move would see any follow-through when trading desks are more fully staffed after the beginning of the new year.Crude has been caught up in wider market weakness as the U.S. government shutdown,..