Global| Jun 29 2018U.S. Personal Spending Increase Moderates; Income Growth Picks Up
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
Personal consumption expenditures improved 0.2% (4.6% y/y) during May following a 0.5% April increase, revised from 0.6%. It was the weakest rise since a slight decline in February. A 0.4% gain had been expected in the Action [...]
Personal consumption expenditures improved 0.2% (4.6% y/y) during May following a 0.5% April increase, revised from 0.6%. It was the weakest rise since a slight decline in February. A 0.4% gain had been expected in the Action Economics Forecast Survey.
Real personal spending eased slightly (+2.3% y/y) after a 0.3% gain. In constant dollars, durable goods spending improved 0.3% (6.1% y/y) after a 0.2% fall. A 0.5% decline in purchases of motor vehicles & parts was the second consecutive monthly shortfall. It was countered by a 1.0% rise (6.9% y/y) in spending on recreational goods & vehicles which followed a 0.3% increase. Outlays on home furnishings & appliances rose 0.2% (7.0% y/y) after easing 0.1%. Real outlays on nondurable goods rose 0.2% (2.7% y/y) after a 0.3% gain. Clothing & footwear purchases strengthened 0.8% (1.7% y/y) after a 0.3% rise while gasoline & oil buying eased 0.1% (-0.2% y/y) following a 0.8% rise. Spending on food & beverages improved 0.3% (3.4% y/y) following a 0.1% dip. Services spending declined 0.2% (+1.5% y/y) after a 0.3% rise. Spending on recreation services declined 1.0% (+0.5% y/y) after a 0.7% gain. Housing & utilities outlays backpedaled 0.8% (+0.8% y/y) and reversed the prior month's increase. Health care outlays improved 0.2% (2.1% y/y) following three straight months of no change or modest decline. Outlays at restaurants & hotels rose 0.2% (2.0% y/y).
Personal income rose an expected 0.4% in May (4.0% y/y) following a 0.2% gain, revised from 0.3%. Wages & salaries improved 0.3% (4.9% y/y) for the second straight month. Proprietors income increased 0.5% (3.8% y/y) after a 0.1% easing and rental incomes also improved 0.5% (4.4% y/y) following a 0.4% gain. Dividend payments surged 1.5% (0.9% y/y) after a 0.2% dip while interest income gained 0.1% (4.2% y/y) for a second straight month. Transfer receipts increased 0.2% (3.7% y/y) following two months of 0.5% increase. Social security payments improved 0.2% (5.1% y/y) after a 0.1% rise. Medicare payments rose 0.6% (3.5% y/y) following a 0.5% increase and Medicaid payments strengthened 0.8% (6.6% y/y) following a 1.2% rise. Unemployment insurance payments declined 4.2% (-11.3% y/y) while veterans benefits fell 3.1% (+6.0% y/y).
Disposable income increased 0.4% (4.0% y/y) following a 0.3% gain, revised from 0.4%. Real disposable income increased 0.2% (1.7% y/y) after a 0.1% rise.
The strength in income, accompanied by a lesser gain in spending, returned the personal savings rate to 3.2% after its April decline. The level of personal savings declined 10.9% y/y.
The chain type price index increased 0.2% (2.3% y/y) for a second straight month. The index excluding food & energy also rose 0.2% (2.0% y/y) for the sixth straight month. Energy prices strengthened 0.9% (12.8% y/y) after a 1.5% increase but food prices fell 0.2% (+0.3% y/y) following a 0.3% gain.
The personal income & consumption figures are available in Haver's USECON database with detail in the USNA database. The Action Economics figure is in the AS1REPNA database.
Tracking and Stress-Testing U.S. Household Leverage from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is available here.
| Personal Income & Outlays (%) | May | Apr | Mar | May Y/Y | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Income | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 5.0 |
| Wages & Salaries | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 5.1 |
| Disposable Personal Income | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 4.5 |
| Personal Consumption Expenditures | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| Personal Saving Rate | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.8 (May'17) |
3.4 | 4.9 | 6.1 |
| PCE Chain Price Index | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.3 |
| Less Food & Energy | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Real Disposable Income | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 4.2 |
| Real Personal Consumption Expenditures | -0.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 3.6 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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