In June, Families Made the Same, Saved More, Spent Less

Data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the Commerce Department this morning shows that Americans earned a bit more, spent a bit less and saved more in June — all in line with economists’ expectations. Consumer spending drives about 60 percent of the economy, therefore, economists do More…

The Wal-Mart Index

The Starbucks Latte Index often gets cited as an indicator of whether consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending – if they give up expensive coffee drinks, the thinking goes, they’re serious about saving money.

But if you really want to know what’s going on with consumer spending on More…