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About an hour ago the following hit the newswires, and suggests that the USA continues to maintain some growth, and those expecting an imminent "double dip" might be disappointed:
Oct. 14, 2011, 8:44 a.m. EDT
U.S. retail sales jump 1.1% in September
Biggest increase in seven months as auto purchases lead way
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Higher purchases of autos, clothing and home furnishings in September fueled the biggest increase in U.S. retail sales in seven months, government data showed Friday.
The springback in consumer spending is the latest evidence to suggest the U.S. economy is not falling back into recession. Consumer spending accounts for as much as 70% of economic growth.
Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 1.1% last month, the Commerce Department said.
Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected an increase of 0.8%.
The increase in retail sales was boosted by demand for autos, which bounced back after a weak August performance. Auto sales spiked 3.6% last month — the biggest increase in a year-and-a half — as carmakers sold nearly 1.1 million vehicles.
Excluding the auto sector, sales rose 0.6%...
But then the euphoria gets interrupted by this:U.S. retail sales jump 1.1% in September
Biggest increase in seven months as auto purchases lead way
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Higher purchases of autos, clothing and home furnishings in September fueled the biggest increase in U.S. retail sales in seven months, government data showed Friday.
The springback in consumer spending is the latest evidence to suggest the U.S. economy is not falling back into recession. Consumer spending accounts for as much as 70% of economic growth.
Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 1.1% last month, the Commerce Department said.
Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected an increase of 0.8%.
The increase in retail sales was boosted by demand for autos, which bounced back after a weak August performance. Auto sales spiked 3.6% last month — the biggest increase in a year-and-a half — as carmakers sold nearly 1.1 million vehicles.
Excluding the auto sector, sales rose 0.6%...
US consumer sentiment sags in Oct, expectations sour
NEW YORK | Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:55am EDT
NEW YORK Oct 14 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment unexpectedly slumped in early October as worries about declining incomes drove consumer expectations back down to the lowest level in more than 30 years, a survey released on Friday showed.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment sagged to 57.5 from 59.4 the month before. It fell short of the median forecast of 60.2 among economists polled by Reuters.
Consumers' outlook also deteriorated with the gauge of consumer expectations falling to its lowest level since May 1980 at 47.0 from 49.4. The index had fallen to this level in early September before being revised up at the end of the month.
The component has shed more than 20 points since the beginning of the year.
"Overall, the data indicate that a recessionary downturn is likely to occur," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement...
NEW YORK | Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:55am EDT
NEW YORK Oct 14 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment unexpectedly slumped in early October as worries about declining incomes drove consumer expectations back down to the lowest level in more than 30 years, a survey released on Friday showed.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment sagged to 57.5 from 59.4 the month before. It fell short of the median forecast of 60.2 among economists polled by Reuters.
Consumers' outlook also deteriorated with the gauge of consumer expectations falling to its lowest level since May 1980 at 47.0 from 49.4. The index had fallen to this level in early September before being revised up at the end of the month.
The component has shed more than 20 points since the beginning of the year.
"Overall, the data indicate that a recessionary downturn is likely to occur," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement...