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                 US Consumer Spending Jumps Most in Five Months

   The U.S. says consumer spending climbed in February by the most in five
   months, a sign of the country`s improving economy.
   The Commerce Department said Friday that consumer spending advanced
   seven-tenths of a percent last month, partly generated by a 1.1 percent
   gain in wages. The increase in consumer spending was the largest since
   September.
   Household purchases are closely watched in the U.S., where consumer
   demand drives about 70 percent of the world`s largest economy. The
   government said that while American motorists were faced with higher
   gasoline costs in February, they also bought more automobiles and spent
   more on services.
   Most economists have predicted that the U.S. economy has grown by about
   2.5 percent in the first three months of the year, a sharp improvement
   over the meager four-tenths of a percent gain in the
   October-to-December period. The moribund U.S. housing market has picked
   up and key stock indexes have reached all-time highs.
   American employers have been adding about 200,000 new jobs a month. The
   country`s jobless rate has declined, but at 7.7 percent remains high by
   U.S. historical standards.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-consumer-spending-jumps-most-in-fi
   ve-months/1631114.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-consumer-spending-jumps-most-in-five-months/1631114.html