Personal Spending Rises in December

Personal spending rose 0.2% in December as incomes rose by the most in eight years, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The upturn followed a 0.4% gain in November and was lower than economists’ median estimate of a 0.3% increase, Bloomberg News reported.

Personal incomes jumped 2.6%, more than three times economists’ median estimate, Bloomberg said.

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