Consumers Holding Back on Spending
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The nationâs retailers wrapped up the weakest sales year since 2002, according to a gloomy report that fanned fears of a recession.
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The nation's consumers, uninspired by this season's fashions and rattled by high gas prices and the weakening home market, shopped gingerly last month, extending the misery of retailers who have struggled with a spending slowdown since February.
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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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Electronics makers considering the strain on the U.S. economy are hoping consumers will cut other expenses first, but many see some worrying signs ahead.
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CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- At least for now, the slowdown in consumer spending is a bottoms-up affair. Free! Sign up here to receive our Before the Bell e-Newsletter!
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US consumers are expected to spend more on home-related merchandise and consumer electronics, this holiday season, while new fashions should keep clothing flying off the rack, according to a survey released on Wednesday.
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Holiday shoppers were not spending as freely as expected, causing worry for many economists and investors.
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U.S. consumers, who flocked to malls  at the start of the holiday shopping season, have since backed  off, kept out of stores by a Midwest ice storm and the ease of  shopping online, data released on Sunday by SpendingPulse  showed.
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What's holding companies back? Can anything be done to rev up their investment spending?
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WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady, giving holiday shoppers a reason for some cheer. However, the Fed held back an extra gift Wall Street was hoping for: a signal that rates might actually be lowered soon.
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Consumers undeterred by escalating credit problems and a weakening housing market went on a back-to-school buying spree last month, helping many retailers rebound from July's disappointing sales. But analysts are still worried that economic concerns might curtail shopping in the critical months ahead.
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Economic pressures and online deals might have led consumers to sharply limit their trips to retailers in the week leading up to Christmas, data tracker ShopperTrak RCT said on Thursday.
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Most Americans are planning to curb  their holiday spending this year, making it a challenging  shopping season for U.S. retailers, according to a holiday  buying survey by The NPD Group.
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WASHINGTON Worry about debt is weighing on shoppers this holiday season. But it&#39;s not keeping them from paying with plastic. Those are the findings of an Associated Press poll.
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REBATE DOUBTS: Despite remarkably quick passage, the economic aid plan and its cash rebates may come too late to prevent a recession this year. Critics say debt-burdened consumers will use the money to pay bills rather than spending the checks and spurring growth.
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Probing the depths of spending psychology.
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Some investors appeared to be betting that more rate cuts would be needed after reports provided fresh evidence that consumer spending is slowing and confidence is ebbing.