April Personal Spending Climbs 0.6%; Incomes Rise 0.5%

May 26, 2006 9:00 AM, EDT

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onsumer personal spending rose 0.6% in April, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

The gain followed a revised 0.5% increase in March that had originally been reported as a 0.6% gain. Some of the spending increase was due to inflation, Bloomberg reported.

ersonal incomes rose 0.5% for a second month; they had originally been reported as a 0.8% gain for March.

he spending rise matched economists’ forecasts, while incomes had been forecast to rise 0.7%, Bloomberg said.

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