Everything's Looking Up for Consumers, So Why Aren't They Spending?
- Drop in auto sales leads retreat following stellar run
- Americans also spent less on clothing, dining out in March
A mannequin stands on display in the window of a store on 5th Avenue in New York.
Photographer: Craig Warga/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Almost everything needed to propel bigger gains in U.S. consumer spending is going right, so why the restraint?
Employment is growing by leaps and bounds, gasoline prices are hovering around the lowest levels in seven years and even stocks have rebounded. Yet retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.3 percent in March, according to figures from the Commerce Department issued Wednesday in Washington.