Personal Spending Stalls in April

Consumer personal spending stalled in April, halting an eight-month run of increases, the Commerce Department said Friday.

It was the first time since September that purchases did not increase. Economists had predicted a 0.3% increase, Bloomberg reported.

Personal incomes rose 0.4% for a second month and the savings rate rose for the first time in four months, Commerce said.

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