In this Nov. 10, 2020 photo, a shopper stands by a display of Samsung 65-inch televisions in a Costco warehouse in Sheridan, Colo. U.S. consumer confidence posted a gain in January, helped by a rise in expectations about the future. The Conference Board reported Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, that its consumer confidence index increased to 89.3, a rebound from December when it had fallen to a reading of 87.1. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
By Martin Crutsinger
U.S. consumers slowed their spending by 0.2% in December, cutting back for a second straight month in a worrisome sign for an economy struggling under the weight of a still out-of-control pandemic.
The decline reported Friday by the Commerce Department followed a seasonally adjusted 0.7% drop in November. It was the latest sign that consumers, whose spending is the primary driver of the U.S. economy, are hunkered down and avoiding traveling, shopping, and dining out. Since making a brief bounce-back from the viral pandemic last spring, consumer spending has barely grown. Sales at retailers have declined for three straight months.
Friday's report from the government also showed that personal incomes, which provide the fuel for spending, rose a modest 0.6% after two months of declines. Yet Americans who have been fortunate enough to keep their jobs have been largely stockpiling savings rather than spending.
The latest figures reflect a shaky economy. On Thursday, the government estimated that the economy grew at a 4% annual rate in the final three months of 2020 but shrank last year by the largest amount in 74 years. At the same time, the job market is faltering, with nearly 10 million jobs still lost to the pandemic, which erupted 10 months ago. Hiring has slowed for six straight months, and employers shed jobs in December for the first time since April.
The outlook for 2021 remains uncertain. Economists warn that a sustained recovery won’t likely take hold until vaccines are successfully distributed and administered nationwide and government-enacted rescue aid spreads through the economy, which could take months. In the meantime, millions of individuals and businesses continue to struggle.
Last week, for instance, 847,000 laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits, an elevated figure that showed that many companies keep cutting jobs as the pandemic continues to rage. Before the virus erupted in the United States in March, weekly applications for jobless aid had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession.
In the coming months, as vaccines become widely distributed and administered, growth is expected to revive. After an initial slowdown in the current quarter, many analysts believe growth will achieve stronger gains for the rest of the year, allowing GDP to expand roughly 5% for 2021 as a whole.
Yet that forecast hinges on the widespread use of vaccines and the gradual reopening of businesses and the rehiring of millions of laid-off workers. The prospect of increased support from Congress’ approval of at least part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief plan and pent-up spending from the savings buildup of higher-income households has also raised hopes. A $900 billion rescue aid package that the government enacted late last year is providing some help, too.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve kept its benchmark short-term interest rate near zero and stressed that it would keep pursuing its low-rate policies until a recovery is well underway. The Fed acknowledged that the economy has faltered in recent months, with hiring weakening especially in industries affected by the raging pandemic, notably restaurants, bars, hotels and others involved in face-to-face public contact.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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