Consumption Flat, Durable Spending Sinks
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U.S. consumer spending was  unexpectedly flat in August, government data showed on  Thursday, as shoppers exercised restraint after splashing out  even more than previously thought during the previous month.
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U.S. consumer spending slipped in August but falling gasoline prices elevated shoppers' moods by September and Midwest factory activity picked up as well, according to reports on Friday that suggested the economy was still motoring along.
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Robust consumer spending on cars,  furniture and food in the third quarter helped the U.S.   economy advance more quickly than first thought, a government  report showed on Tuesday, while underlying inflation was the  tamest in decades.
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The economy grew at a 0.7 percent annual pace in the first three months of this year, the weakest in more than four years as businesses sold off inventories but consumer spending remained strong, a Commerce Department report on Thursday showed.
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The U.S. economy will grow at a  moderate clip in 2007 as consumer spending growth slows and  business spending moderates during the second half, a key  economic forecast released on Tuesday showed.
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NEW YORK - Consumers&#39; assessment of the economy held largely steady this month, according to a university research report released Friday.
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Even when experts were declaring the economy healthy, many Americans voiced a vague, but persistent dissatisfaction. True, jobs were relatively plentiful over the last few years. It was easy to borrow and very cheap. The sharp rise in the value of homes and plentiful credit cards encouraged a nation of consumers to get out and buy. But to many people, something didn't feel right, even if they couldn't quite explain why.
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Consumer spending, the critical bulwark that has kept the country out of a recession, is showing signs of cracking. Retail sales plunged by 0.4 percent last month as consumers battered by a sinking housing market, rising unemployment and the credit crunch, handed retailers their worst Christmas in five years.
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Spending rose slightly more than expected, while personal income rose 0.5 percent, the government said. For all of 2007, consumer spending grew by 5.5 percent, the weakest growth since 2003.
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U.S. consumer prices and core  consumer prices were unexpectedly flat in November as energy  and transportation costs fell, according to a government report  on Friday that eased inflation worries.
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Heavy consumer spending in the United States strains the global economy and also sustains it.
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Core U.S. consumer prices rose a  moderate 0.2 percent last month, as expected, but  inflation-adjusted spending advanced just 0.1 percent as high  energy prices ate into disposable income, a government report  showed on Friday.
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WASHINGTON -- Consumers, battered by harsh economic crosswinds, spent less in December than at any time in the past 15 months.
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U.S. claims for jobless benefits jumped last week, while consumer spending was unexpectedly flat in August as shoppers closed their wallets after splashing out the previous month, the government said on Thursday.
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U.S. consumers will curb spending this year after being hit by continued troubles in the housing sector, but business investment is set to pick up, adding to economic growth later this year, according to a survey of economists released on Sunday.
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The first economic data to emerge since last month's credit woes suggest a modest impact on business and consumers.
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Consumer spending edged up a slim 0.2% in November, much weaker than October&#39;s 0.8% jump as purchases of new cars dropped sharply, a government report said Thursday.