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Consumer Spending Fell in September

2008_10_spending.jpgTo no one's surprise, consumer spending was down last month, but this was the first time spending has gone down in two years. The Commerce Department says purchases decreased by 0.3%; Bloomberg News says it caps "the weakest quarter in three decades and indicating the economic slump is deepening." Yeterday, GDP data revealed the economy contracted by 0.3%, which many private-sector economists believe means the U.S. "has already entered a recession." Stocks, which were up yesterday (the Dow rose 200 points), look to open lower today.

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Comments [rss]

  • EastRiver

    Steve Martin on SNL: Stop Buying Stuff You Can't Afford



    http://www.red2black.org.uk/videos.php?id=3

  • EastRiver

    So for more than a decade everyone has been saying that Americans spend too much money, the savings rate was falling and then actually went negative, that we were borrowing from overseas to fuel our consumer lifestyle and now that people are actually buying less we make a big deal? Wasn't this bound to happen sooner or later?

  • Felix Hoenikker

    Good.

    Buying shit you don't need with money you don't have is a bad thing.

  • gossipgirl

    Who can afford to shop? We can only afford to drink.

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