Mississippi Business Journal » consumer spending

House speaker wraps up statewide ‘ideas’ tour

Associated Press — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:30:43 +0000

AROUND MISSISSIPPI — House Speaker Philip Gunn says education is a recurring theme at the town meetings he held across Mississippi last week. He says comments and ideas have varied. Gunn, a Republican from Clinton, wrapped up his “ideas” tour in Brookhaven. He made earlier stops in Jackson, Greenwood, Hernando, Tupelo, Columbus, Meridian, Hattiesburg and [...]

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Consumer spending rises at quickest pace in months

Associated Press — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:58:05 +0000

WASHINGTON — Americans spent last month at the fastest pace in four months, helped by a jump in demand for automobiles. Consumer spending rose 0.4 percent in July after three lackluster months, the Commerce Department said today. Spending fell 0.1 percent in April, rose a tiny 0.1 percent in May and was flat in June. [...]

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Report: State nearly leads nation in ‘financial distress’

Wally Northway — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:04:18 +0000

ATLANTA — CredAbility has released the CredAbility Consumer Distress Index results for the 2010 second quarter, and the news is not good for Mississippi. The index, a quarterly measure that tracks the financial condition of the average U.S. household, finds that high levels of unemployment and the strain of housing costs continue to keep consumers [...]

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Credit card debt drops to eight-year low

Associated Press — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:50:54 +0000

NEW YORK — The amount consumers owed on their credit cards dropped to its lowest level in eight years, as cardholders continued to pay off balances in the uncertain economy. The average combined debt for bank-issued credit cards — those with a MasterCard or Visa logo — fell to $4,951 in the second quarter, down [...]

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Economists nervous about employment report

Associated Press — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:42:53 +0000

WASHINGTON — Faster job growth is needed to accelerate the recovery, but economists worry the government’s July employment report won’t show strong gains. Without more jobs, Americans are likely to remain cautious with their spending, restraining the economic rebound. But without more spending, companies will likely be slow to hire. The report will be released [...]

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Consumer spending, personal incomes stall

Associated Press — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:00:39 +0000

WASHINGTON — The pace of consumer spending stalled in June and personal incomes failed to increase, further evidence that the economy slowed significantly in the spring. The Commerce Department say personal spending was unchanged in June, the third straight month of lackluster consumer demand. Incomes were flat as well, the weakest showing in nine months. [...]

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Latest CMI reflects ‘stuttering’ economy

Wally Northway — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:45:26 +0000

COLUMBIA, Md. — July’s Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) continued to show that the economy as a whole is stuttering. The overall index remains above 50, but not by much, and these levels have not been seen since late last year when the index was down to 52.9 in December. As recently as April, the combined [...]

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Manufacturing activity fell in June

Associated Press — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:11:35 +0000

WASHINGTON — New evidence of a slowing economic rebound emerged yesterday in reports that manufacturing activity is slowing after helping drive the early stages of the recovery. Factory output fell in June, according to a government report on industrial production. It was the sharpest monthly drop in a year. And two regional manufacturing indexes sank [...]

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Forecasters expect car, truck sales to be down

Associated Press — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:39:27 +0000

DETROIT — When it comes to car shopping, Americans are tapping the brakes. Forecasters expect U.S. sales of cars and light trucks to slow in June after months of improvement. It’s another sign that people are beginning to doubt the economic recovery with unemployment still high. “The two big issues with consumers right now are [...]

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IHL report finds mixed economic indicators

Wally Northway — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:21:57 +0000

JACKSON — The economy is showing signs of life in Mississippi with retail sales rising and tax revenues stabilizing, but unemployment is still hovering near 10 percent, according to the June 2010 issue of the Mississippi Economic Review and Outlook. The publication is compiled by the Center for Policy Research and Planning at the Mississippi [...]

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