Consumer Spending

By Martin Crutsinger WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy expanded at a slow to moderate pace over the past two months in most areas of the country, but overall hiring was weak, according to a Federal Reserve survey released Wednesday. Modest improvement in all but one of the Fed's 12 banking districts suggests ...

If you're feeling a bit more flush than you did last month, that's because of the income boost felt nationwide. The average American income rose about 1 percent last month -- the largest leap it's taken in almost two years, according to the United States Department of Commerce. "Personal income surged in ...

If it looks, walks, and smells like optimism, maybe it is. Some economists, as well as companies like General Electric and an increasing number of consumers, are spotting signs of optimism regarding America's economy, reports Bloomberg Business Week. All this at a time when the countries of Europe and emerging ...

A likely sign of the return of consumer confidence, 53 percent of those surveyed by ShopperTrak said they plan to keep shopping this week, despite the snow and cold. That's an encouraging number, considering only 47 percent said they were going shopping last week, which included the few days before Christmas, ...

Spending in the 50 days before Christmas increased 5.5 percent -- the best sales since before the recession, reports The New York Times. According to the figures collected by MasterCard, that comes out to about $584.3 billion. Not figured into that sum are the numbers from some retailers who do not report ...