April Personal Spending Rises 0.6%

ersonal spending rose for a third consecutive month in April, rising 0.6%, the Commerce Department said Friday.

An increase in consumer spending could increase demand for new factory goods and the trucking shipments that get them to stores.

The spending gain — which followed a 0.9% increase in March that had originally been reported at 0.6% — was coupled with a rise in personal income of 0.7%, Commerce said.

April spending on durable goods such as automobiles and furniture rose 0.8% after rising 3.5% in March.

Spending on non-durable goods rose 0.2% following a 0.8% decline in March. Spending on services, which account for about 60% of all purchases, rose 0.1% following a 0.4% gain.