consumer spending

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Credit Reform May Drain $9B in Holiday Sales

Consumer protections result in lower limits, less spending

(Newser) - The impending enactment of new credit card law is poised to rob retailers of $9 billion in holiday sales compared to last year. The law, designed to protect consumers from rates being raised on the sly and sneaky fees, already has led to lower credit limits and more rejected applications...

That Menu Is Playing With Your Mind, Wallet

Restaurants high and low use psychology to boost spending

(Newser) - In the recession, restaurants casual and white tablecloth alike are desperately updating one of their secret moneymakers: the menu. Numerous studies have concluded that customers spend more when items have sumptuous descriptions, a relative’s name is included, or, most importantly, the $ sign is banished entirely. Whether you can...

Dow Up 66 as Consumer Optimism Lifts Stocks

Retail sales beat expectations in November

(Newser) - Stocks ended today's session mixed, with the Dow posting solid gains. Alcoa saw a. 8% jump on an optimistic profit estimate by JPMorgan, and the University of Michigan/Reuters December consumer sentiment index beat expectations, the Wall Street Journal reports.
  • The Dow rose 65.67 points to close at 10,471.
...

Q3 GDP Growth More Like 2.8% Than 3.5%

 Q3 GDP Growth More 
 Like 2.8% Than 3.5% 
FUZZY MATH DEPT
Nov 24, 2009 9:29 AM CST

Q3 GDP Growth More Like 2.8% Than 3.5%

Spending and home prices are up, but not enough to help jobs

(Newser) - The government’s optimistic reading of GDP growth in the 3rd quarter was distorted by a pair of rose-tinted glasses, it now says. The Commerce Department has revised its estimate down to 2.8% from 3.5% on evidence that stimulus programs like Cash for Clunkers and the homebuyers' tax...

Forget the Rosy Stats: The Little Guy Is in Bad Shape
Forget the Rosy Stats:
The Little Guy Is in Bad Shape
Nouriel Roubini
Nov 18, 2009 1:34 PM CST

Forget the Rosy Stats: The Little Guy Is in Bad Shape

Economy far worse off than statistics indicate

(Newser) - Don’t believe the rosy official statistics; for most Americans, the economy is in incredibly bad shape, according to the economist some call “Dr. Doom.” We’re looking at a tale of two economies, Nouriel Roubini writes in the Globe and Mail . For top businesses, it’s recovering...

US GDP Jump Hollow if Unemployment Keeps Rising
US GDP Jump Hollow if Unemployment Keeps Rising
ANALYSIS
Oct 29, 2009 8:07 PM CDT

US GDP Jump Hollow if Unemployment Keeps Rising

... and it's still rising faster than before recession

(Newser) - News that the US gross domestic product jumped 3.5% in the third quarter cheered investors and others, but the cheers will ring hollow if unemployment keeps rising, John Authers writes. Consumer spending rose even as disposable income fell—“ not a pattern that can be sustained for long, and...

Women Drive Recovery, But Dissed By Retail

Biz approach to females: take 'a male product and paint it pink'

(Newser) - Women who shop til they drop are stimulating the economy more than any Ben Bernanke, but the planet's greatest spending bloc feels dissed by retailers and service providers. Women control $20 trillion in annual consumer spending in the world—a figure likely to climb to $28 trillion by 2014. Despite...

Supermarkets Slash Prices

 Supermarkets Slash Prices 
 
Sep 17, 2009 7:32 AM CDT

Supermarkets Slash Prices

Deflation stalks the aisles; Safeway cuts below profit point

(Newser) - Americans are getting a big break on the price of food, as the recession drives down the cost of wheat, milk, and other staples, and supermarkets fight feverishly for sales. After a year of dramatic increases, commodities are way down—the price of corn, for instance, is down 56% since...

Penny Pinching May Linger Long After Recession

Lasting change for once-insatiable American consumers?

(Newser) - The Great Recession is loosening its grip on Americans, but the spirit of thrift it inspired isn't, reports the New York Times. Consumer spending, which until recently accounted for 70% of US economic activity, looks unlikely to return to full steam as consumers emerge from the recession cramped by lower...

Lousy Retail Sales Will Delay Recovery

Recession isn't over as far as consumers are concerned

(Newser) - If the recession is indeed waning, nobody told consumers. Retailers of every kind reported lousy sales for the quarter ended Aug. 1, the Wall Street Journal reports. Target’s same-store sales fell 6.2%, Home Depot’s dropped 9.1% and Saks’ plummeted a whopping 15.5%. And with unemployment,...

Sales of Men's Undies Rebound With Economy

Analyst sees hope in unusual indicator's promising numbers

(Newser) - Amid mixed reports about recession and economic recovery, here's a bright spot: Men’s underwear sales are on the rebound. Believe it or not, that's a reliable indicator, because selling unmentionables is “such a need-based business that it really is a good indication that the consumer hasn't checked...

GDP Slows Descent, Falls Just 1%

(Newser) - The US economy contracted in the second quarter, but it was a mild decline that beat analyst estimates, Bloomberg reports. GDP fell 1%, less than the 1.5% economists predicted, and a heck of a lot less than the 6.4% and 5.4% drops seen in the two previous...

Stimulus Boosts Americans' Incomes
Stimulus Boosts Americans' Incomes
Jun 26, 2009 2:11 PM CDT

Stimulus Boosts Americans' Incomes

Consumers tuck funds away: Savings rate hits 16-year high

(Newser) - Incomes in the US got a big boost from federal stimulus dollars in May, the Commerce Department reported today. But weary consumers stashed most of that lucre away, sending the savings rate to a 16-year high. “Households are reverting to a more sustainable spending path vis-à-vis income,”...

Mortgage Rates Hit 3-Month High

Housing and consumer-spending rebound hopes endangered

(Newser) - Mortgage rates jumped to a three-month high yesterday, putting hopes for a rebound in the housing market and consumer spending at risk, the Wall Street Journal reports. The average 30-year fixed rate hit 5.44% from 5.29% the day before and 5.03% Tuesday. The rates make it tougher...

Recession Will End Next Quarter: Economists

(Newser) - If economists are right, the worst is over for the US economy. In a survey released today by the National Association for Business Economics, 74% of economists said the recession would end in the third quarter. But the coming recovery won’t be a strong one, they warned. Job losses...

Dow Off 184 on Consumer Woes
 Dow Off 184 on Consumer Woes 
MARKETS
May 13, 2009 3:09 PM CDT

Dow Off 184 on Consumer Woes

(Newser) - The ugly news on consumer spending cast a pall over Wall Street throughout today’s session, the Financial Times reports, pushing all three major indices down more than 2%. The unexpected dip in retail sales was particularly hard on retailers Target, Lowe’s, and Office Depot. The Dow finished off...

Experts Fret as Americans Squirrel Away Income

Savings rate jumps over job, portfolio fears

(Newser) - Even after the economy rebounds, the US will likely remain a nation of penny pinchers—and that has economists worried, the New York Times reports. Consumer spending accounts for 70% of the country’s GDP, but Americans, fretting over job security and losses in the housing and stock sectors, are...

Economy Shrinks Faster Than Expected in 1st Quarter

6.1% pace fueled by biz cutbacks, export drop

(Newser) - The US economy shrank at a worse-than-expected 6.1% pace at the start of this year as sharp cutbacks by businesses and the biggest drop in US exports in 40 years overwhelmed a rebound in consumer spending. Today's Commerce Department report dashed hopes that the recession's grip on the country...

Recession-Wary Teens Cut Back on Spending

Teens spend less on food, apparel while video games and DVDs still popular

(Newser) - The downturn is causing teens, who usually spend through recessions while parents absorb the pinch, to cut back, Advertising Age reports. Teenagers are spending about 14% less this spring than last, a “dramatic impact” from a demographic that spends an average of $125 billion each year. Unemployment is also...

Herd Mentality Moves Many to Needless Penny-Pinching

Psychology has everyone spending less, even those who don't need to

(Newser) - Amid the economic distress, many people who can spend as freely as they could before aren’t, the Washington Post reports. Such consumers, economists say, take psychological cues from friends and the media and pinching pennies needlessly—which only helps deepen the downturn. Upper-income consumers cut spending from $185 in...

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