US consumer spending weak, but income gains robust
聽U.S.聽consumer聽spending聽in April posted the weakest performance in three months, but a solid gain in income growth should help boost聽spending聽in the future.
Consumer聽spending聽was flat in April after a revised 0.5 percent increase in March, the Commerce Department reported Monday. The March advance had been the biggest gain since last August. Personal income rose a healthy 0.4 percent after being unchanged in March.
The flat reading for聽consumer聽spending聽in April had been expected given weakness previously reported in retail sales and auto sales for the month. Economists, however, forecast that聽spending聽will rebound in coming months. Strong gains in employment should translate into more confident聽consumers聽who are willing to聽spend聽more.
Consumer聽spending聽is closely watched because it accounts for 70 percent of economic activity.
The overall economy shrank in first three month of the year, with the gross domestic product contracting at an annual rate of 0.7 percent. Economists are forecasting GDP growth will rebound to around 2.5 percent in the current April-June quarter.
Consumer聽spending聽slowed to growth of just 1.8 percent in the first quarter, down from聽spending聽growth of 4.4 percent in the fourth quarter. The frigid cold in many parts of the country kept shoppers away from the malls. With the arrival of spring and warmer weather, analysts are looking for聽spending聽to rebound.
The weakness in April, the first month in the new quarter, reflected big declines in聽spending聽on both durable goods such as autos and nondurable goods such as clothing and food.聽Spending聽on services, which covers utility bills and rent, edged up 0.2 percent.
With income growing and聽spending聽flat, the personal saving rate jumped to 5.6 percent of after-tax incomes, compared to 5.2 percent in March.
Economists believe聽consumers聽will start聽spending聽the savings they have accumulated from the big drop in gas prices. While the cost of filing up the tank has risen a bit in recent weeks, prices are still nearly $1 below the levels of a year ago.
Recent employment gains are expected to bolster聽spending. The economy created 223,000 jobs in April, pushing the unemployment rate down to a nearly seven-year low of 5.4 percent.
The Federal Reserve has kept a key interest rate at a record low near zero since December 2008 in an effort to combat high unemployment. Even though the job market has revived, the Fed has left rates alone, in part because inflation for nearly three years has been running below the Fed's 2 percent target.
Many economists believe the central bank, which next meets on June 16, will delay its first rate hike until September.
