Once the seasonal factors in January’s data faded away, overall spending at retail stores, restaurants and online remained solid as consumers continued to benefit from a strong labor market and growing incomes. … READ MORE >
consumer spending
How real is the wealth effect in a bull market?
Using a back-of-the-envelope calculation, we estimate that the sharp rebound in equities last year contributed to an increase of roughly $900 billion in households’ stock wealth, or $288 billion in consumer spending. … READ MORE >
U.S. income and spending see strong gains as year nears an end
November had a 0.4% increase in nominal income and spending, while inflation-adjusted spending advanced at a 0.3% pace, according to Commerce Department data released on Friday. … READ MORE >
Retail sales and producer inflation fall in October
The data for October’s retail sales and producer inflation has raised the probability of a soft landing by a significant margin. … READ MORE >
Spending stayed robust in September as inflation steadied
Friday’s data on spending and income, together with recent data on gross domestic product, have pointed to a booming economy that should push back any speculation for an imminent recession. … READ MORE >
Excess savings are critical to the economic expansion’s duration
According to our analysis of revised BEA data, consumers are on a strong footing, with between $400 billion and $1.3 trillion in excess savings that they can draw upon as the economy moves back toward price stability. … READ MORE >
August retail sales and producer inflation show a hot summer finish
Retail sales and producer inflation came in significantly higher than expected, while initial jobless claims were lower than the market consensus. … READ MORE >
Consumer confidence falls to six-month low
The top-line confidence level fell to 102.3 from an upwardly revised 103.7, the Conference Board reported on Tuesday. … READ MORE >
Fed’s gauges on wages and inflation seal the deal on another rate hike
The Federal Reserve’s key labor costs metric for the first quarter came in hotter than expected, helping to seal the deal on another rate hike in May, while raising the probability of another one in June. … READ MORE >
Jobless claims inch up while revised GDP shows softer growth
New filings for jobless benefits inched up to 198,000 last week from 191,000 earlier, staying below the pre-pandemic level, while fourth-quarter gross domestic product was revised down slightly from a 2.7% increase to 2.6%. … READ MORE >