Financial Times FT.com

Mixed US data better than feared

By Alan Rappeport in New York

Published: March 2 2009 16:42 | Last updated: March 2 2009 16:42

US consumers upped their spending for the first time in seven months in January as deep post-holiday discounts lured bargain hunters back to the market.

Personal consumption expenditure rose by 0.6 per cent, more than economists expected, according to commerce department figures released on Monday. The January rise in purchases followed a 1 per cent fall in the previous month and ended a record string of six consecutive declines.

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