Personal Spending Declines 0.2%

Consumer personal spending fell in March after two months of growth, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Spending decreased 0.2%, following a 0.4% increase in February, Commerce said.

Economists had forecast a 0.1% decline in March spending, Bloomberg reported.

Personal incomes fell 0.3% in the same period, Bloomberg said.

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