• Apr 30, 2025

US consumer spending surges in March, inflation cools

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. consumer spending increased solidly in March as households boosted purchases of motor vehicles to avoid higher prices and shortages due to tariffs, but that did little to change economists' views that the economy had shifted into lower gear. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of economic activity, surged 0.7% last month after an upwardly revised 0.5% gain in February, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast consumer spending would rise 0.5% after a previously reported 0.4% increase in February.

  • Apr 30, 2025

US Treasury dealers recommend ending federal debt ceiling

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Treasury's primary dealers say they would prefer to end the federal debt ceiling, as it likely increases debt service costs and market volatility and may hurt the dollar's reserve asset status, minutes of the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC) showed on Wednesday. "The Committee expressed that its preferred option would be for Congress to delegate broad authority to the administration to borrow as necessary to fund government obligations," the TBAC said in the minutes from its quarterly refunding meeting held on Tuesday. Treasury debt yields surged this month after Trump announced punishing "reciprocal" tariffs on many countries on April 2.

  • Apr 30, 2025

US inflation cools and Americans step up spending as they brace for tariff impact

A closely watched inflation gauge cooled last month in a sign that prices were steadily easing before most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs were implemented. At the same time, consumers accelerated their spending, particularly on cars, likely in an effort to get ahead of the duties. Wednesday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose just 2.3% in March from a year earlier, down from 2.7% in February.