consumer spending

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional details. Retail sales climbed 0.6% in February, a welcome gain following a fall in January, but not as good as the 0.8% that was expected by economists. The data showed that total sales for the December through to February period were...

Despite economic pressures, record-breaking spending is anticipated for this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with an expected average consumer spending of $567, a 13% increase from the previous year. What Happened: According to a report by Bloomberg, shoppers are undeterred by...

Experts predict that U.S. economic growth has seen a significant boost in the third quarter, driven by increased consumer spending and a reduction in slowdown fears. The prediction comes ahead of the Commerce Department’s release of its initial estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product...

We are currently witnessing an unexpected era of the stock market where despite increasing interest rates and fears of a recession, the stock market is rallying, which may seem confusing. One key metric to understand this is the Price to Earnings or P/E ratio. It tells us how much investors are...

Recently issued earnings reports from prominent retailers paint a nuanced picture of the U.S. consumer landscape. While Kohl’s Corp (NYSE:KSS) managed to beat expectations despite a broader slowdown, other retailers, notably Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE:DKS) and Macy’s Inc (...

A slowdown in consumption in March appears to have unwound in April, according to the latest weekly payment card transactions data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), indicating consumers are shrugging off the chance of a recession. What Happened: Card spending advanced by 15.5% for the...

In the month of June, U.S. households faced inflationary pressures not seen since the 1980s, causing consumers to spend more money on fewer goods. What Happened: On Friday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported a 1.1% increase in consumer spending, which correlates with the highest consumer...

On Friday, the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers released the consumer sentiment index for June 2022. What Happened: The consumer sentiment index for June was 50.0, resulting in a -14.4% change since May, which was the lowest report on record. The decline in consumer sentiment is broad...

In the face of rising cases of COVID-19, more companies are delaying their planned return to offices until January 2022, including Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), which was due to welcome employees back in September. Fears of the more contagious Delta variant have also caused a few states and big cities to...

Consumers are not very happy: sentiment among shoppers fell by 13.5% to 70.2% in August, according to the most recent Surveys of Consumers University of Michigan report. The drop is the consumer sentiment index’s third-largest single-month decline. What Happened: Declines like this have...

The last two years have proven to be unusually volatile, even for the roller-coaster-ready logistics industry. While the need for essentials soared, demand was depressed across most sectors during the height of the pandemic. As states reopened and vaccines became available, consumers ventured out...

These days, monthly inflation reports carry almost as much weight in the market as monthly job reports. Today’s consumer price index for July came in around expectations, meaning the impact on Wall Street might not be too heavy. Consumer prices rose 0.5%, right on target with the average...

CNBC host Jim Cramer has picked stocks of tech giant Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and thirteen other companies as best plays amid a potential rebound in consumer spending in the U.S. What Happened: Cramer said on his “Mad Money” show that recent upbeat quarterly earnings results from major...

Preliminary net Class 8 truck orders in December were the fourth highest in history at 50,900 units. The surge in bookings reflects continued demand for consumer goods, an awakening of the manufacturing sector and robust fleet profits from tight freight capacity. A driver shortage is worsened by...

The Last Week In A Nutshell What Happened: “The market has taken us on a roller coaster ride that no one would have believed — from the depths of March 2020, when we dropped to a level last seen in 2016 (e.g., $2,237.40 on the S&P 500) to a 51% rally back to reclaim an all...