US Consumer Spending Barely Rises, Key Inflation Gauge Picks Up
The report points to stubborn inflation just as Donald Trump’s planned tariffs risk stoking price pressures even further.
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Consumer spending was weaker than expected again in February while a key inflation metric picked up, in a double whammy for the economy before the brunt of tariffs.
Inflation-adjusted consumer spending edged up 0.1%, on the low end of economists’ estimates, after a slump January that analysts mostly blamed on bad weather. Notably in February, Americans reduced spending on services for the first time in three years in the face of higher prices — including on dining out.