Personal Spending Rises 0.4%

Consumer personal spending rose 0.4% in March, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The increase followed a 0.1% gain in February, Commerce said. Economists had forecast a 0.2% rise in spending, Bloomberg reported.

Personal incomes fell 0.3%, less than forecast, following a 0.5% gain the previous month.

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