American consumers tighten their belts
By Martin Crutsinger |
August 4, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AMERICAN consumers did not boost their spending in June and their incomes failed to increase, further evidence that the economic recovery slowed in the spring. And Americans saved at the highest rate in nearly a year.
Personal spending was unchanged in June, the United States Commerce Department reported yesterday. It was the third straight month of lackluster consumer demand. Incomes were also flat, the weakest showing in nine months.
The lack of growth for spending and incomes shows the economy ended the second quarter on a weak note. Many analysts believe growth will slow further in the second half of this year as high unemployment, shaky consumer confidence and renewed troubles in housing weigh on the year-old economic recovery.
The personal savings rate rose to 6.4 percent of after-tax incomes in June, the highest reading in nearly a year. The savings rate is now about three times the 2.1 percent average for all of 2007, before the recession began.
While income growth was flat in June, incomes did post solid gains in April and May. But households chose to save the extra money rather than spend it. Higher savings restrain spending in the near term. But the extra resources allow households to repair their tattered balance sheets.
"It is of some comfort that households now appear to have something of a cushion that can be used to pay down debt or support spending," said Paul Dales, US economist at Capital Economics.
Consumer spending is closely monitored because it accounts for 70 percent of total economic activity.
The government reported last week that the overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, slowed to an annual growth rate of just 2.4 percent in the April-to-June quarter. That was down from 3.7 percent growth in the first three months of the year and a 5 percent spurt in activity in the fourth quarter of last year.
The slowdown reflected the decline in consumer spending, which rose at an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the second quarter compared with a 1.9 percent pace in the first quarter.
Economists are worried that the financial troubles weighing on households could cause spending to decline more in the second half of the year.
Personal spending was unchanged in June, the United States Commerce Department reported yesterday. It was the third straight month of lackluster consumer demand. Incomes were also flat, the weakest showing in nine months.
The lack of growth for spending and incomes shows the economy ended the second quarter on a weak note. Many analysts believe growth will slow further in the second half of this year as high unemployment, shaky consumer confidence and renewed troubles in housing weigh on the year-old economic recovery.
The personal savings rate rose to 6.4 percent of after-tax incomes in June, the highest reading in nearly a year. The savings rate is now about three times the 2.1 percent average for all of 2007, before the recession began.
While income growth was flat in June, incomes did post solid gains in April and May. But households chose to save the extra money rather than spend it. Higher savings restrain spending in the near term. But the extra resources allow households to repair their tattered balance sheets.
"It is of some comfort that households now appear to have something of a cushion that can be used to pay down debt or support spending," said Paul Dales, US economist at Capital Economics.
Consumer spending is closely monitored because it accounts for 70 percent of total economic activity.
The government reported last week that the overall economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, slowed to an annual growth rate of just 2.4 percent in the April-to-June quarter. That was down from 3.7 percent growth in the first three months of the year and a 5 percent spurt in activity in the fourth quarter of last year.
The slowdown reflected the decline in consumer spending, which rose at an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the second quarter compared with a 1.9 percent pace in the first quarter.
Economists are worried that the financial troubles weighing on households could cause spending to decline more in the second half of the year.
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