Rate cut could boost consumer spending
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Betting on banks and movie theaters could be a good move if the Federal Reserve lowers a key interest rate at today's meeting.
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WASHINGTON -- Consumer spending rose in December by the most in five months, helping the economy weather a slump in manufacturing that extended into 2007.
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Heavy consumer spending in the United States strains the global economy and also sustains it.
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Signs of an improving economy may have  dashed hopes for an interest-rate cut, but the potential for  better profits may whet the appetite of stock market investors.
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Jolted by global recession fears, the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates Tuesday, and President Bush and leaders of Congress joined in a rare show of cooperation in promising urgent action to pump up the economy with upwards of $150 billion in tax cuts and government spending.
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Battered consumers, faced with weak income growth and rising inflation, trimmed their spending in August by the largest amount in nearly a year. The Commerce Department reported Friday that consumer spending, after adjusting for inflation, dropped by 0.1 percent last month, the first decline since a 0.3 percent fall in September 2005, a month when business activity was disrupted by Hurricane Katrina.
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WASHINGTON Aug. 30, 2004 - After taking a rest in June, the nation&#39;s consumers were full of energy last month, boosting their spending by a strong 0.8 percent, a hopeful sign the economy may be emerging from a summer funk.
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Prospects for a huge downgrade of subprime-related debt have boosted chances that the Federal Reserve will need to prop up the U.S. economy with a rate cut some time in the next year.
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With the economy expanding at a respectable pace, companies hiring and consumers inclined to spend, Federal Reserve policy-makers can feel comfortable about boosting short-term interest rates for a fourth time this year.
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U.S. incomes and spending rose in October, providing the means for consumers to keep spending as the holiday shopping season approached, while core consumer prices rose modestly, the government reported on Thursday.
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WASHINGTON - After taking a rest in June, the nation's consumers were full of energy last month, boosting their spending by 0.8 percent, a hopeful sign the economy may be emerging from a summer funk.    The over-the-month increase in consumer spending, reported by the Commerce Department on Monday, marked a turnaround from the 0.2 percent decline registered in June, when high energy prices and a sluggish job market made for more cautious buyers...
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Recent consumer spending suggests that the economy may not be slowing as suddenly as some economists had thought.
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Economists are growing concerned over Americans' willingness to cede regular chunks of their paychecks to new conveniences and services, saying it is taking a bite out of discretionary spending, a key driver of the nation's economy.
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Economic data released Wednesday supports decision to cut interest rates.
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Consumers are a bit more inclined to cut back on holiday spending than in recent years, concerned about energy costs and credit card debt.
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The best bet is a quarter-point cut in the fed funds rate, but will that turn investor psychology for long?
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A rosier economic outlook will boost US holiday spending by up to 5 percent this year despite a firm resolution by many consumers to spend less, a consumer group said on Monday.