Personal Spending Rises for First Time in Three Months

Personal spending rose for the first time in three months, gaining 0.4% in July, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The upturn followed no change in June. Personal incomes rose 0.3% for a third straight month.

Economists’ median forecast was for a 0.5% increase in spending, Bloomberg reported.

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