Personal Spending Gains 0.6%

Consumer personal spending rose 0.6% in March, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The increase followed a revised 0.9% increase in February that was higher than the 0.7% first reported.

The March increase topped economists’ forecasts of a 0.5% rise, Bloomberg reported. Personal incomes rose 0.3%, Bloomberg said.

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