Australian retail sales rose in July for a fifth month as consumers boosted spending at cafes and restaurants. Sales increased 0.7 percent from June, when they advanced a revised 0.4 percent, the Bureau of Statistics said in Sydney today. The median forecast of 23 economists surveyed by Bloomber...

U.S. consumer spending rose at the strongest pace in four months in July, supported by a small gain in incomes, offering hope that consumers will be able to keep contributing to a modest recovery. KEY POINTS: * The Commerce Department said on Monday spending increased 0.4 percent in July, the lar...

Japan's average household spending rose a real 1.1% from a year earlier to Y285,274 in July, as heat waves boosted sales of air-conditioners and beverages while some consumers rushed to car dealerships before the end of government subsidies for low-emission vehicles in September, data from the...

U.S. household debt fell 1.5 percent in the second quarter as consumers, facing an unemployment rate near a 26-year high, reduced mortgages and credit-card accounts, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Respondents to a quarterly survey of consumers conducted by the New York Fed fo...

Confidence among U.S. consumers rose in August, a sign the biggest part of the economy may soon stabilize. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment climbed to 69.6 following a reading of 67.8 in July that was the lowest since November, the group said tod...

The Economy Watchers' Survey index for current conditions in Japan rose to 49.8 in July from 47.5 in June, posting the first rise in three months thanks to heat waves that boosted sales of air conditioners and refrigerators, the Cabinet Office said on Monday. While consumers took advantage of th...

Australian retail sales rose in June for a fourth month as consumers boosted spending on household goods and restaurants. Sales increased 0.2 percent from May, when they advanced by the same amount, the Bureau of Statistics said in Sydney today. The median forecast of 23 economists surveyed by B...

June saw further signs of cooling in the housing market , with Bank of England data showing the number of mortgage approvals fell on the month, coming in weaker than analysts had expected. The BOE's data also showed consumers paying-down unsecured borrowing and weak growth in the BOE's favoured ...

The U.S. posted solid gains in exports in May, a positive sign for the economy. And while imports grew even faster, some economists saw that as a hopeful sign because it suggests companies are betting that consumers will spend more in coming months. The surging value of imports caused the trade d...

Dallas Fed president expect the U.S. economy to decelerate as job security, portfolio risks and a sagging housing market continue to hurt consumers while his Richmond Fed counterpart said consumer and business spending will be sufficient for the economy to continue recovering, according to Nikkei...