°®¶¹´«Ã½

Americans’ confidence continued to mount in the week ended March 3 as the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index reached the highest point in a decade on more-upbeat assessments about the economy and buying climate, figures showed March 9.

U.S. consumer debt outstanding in January posted the smallest gain since July 2012 as American households reduced their credit-card balances.

Consumer spending rose less than projected in January as rising prices pinched Americans’ wallets, leading inflation-adjusted purchases to fall by the most since 2009.

Consumer confidence fell for the first time since November’s election, as party lines divided Americans following a boost in enthusiasm for the new administration’s economic policies.

The U.S. cost of living increased in January by the most since February 2013, led by higher costs for gasoline and other goods and services that indicate inflation is gathering momentum.

U.S. retail sales rose more than forecast last month in a broad-based advance that indicates the consumer is well-positioned to propel the economy in early 2017.

U.S. consumer purchases climbed in December by the most in three months as incomes picked up, signaling a strong hand-off into 2017.

Republicans expect the U.S. economy to boom and Democrats see a bust after Donald Trump’s election as president, a sharp reversal from sentiment a few months before the vote, according to a University of Michigan consumer survey.

American consumers were the most upbeat about the economy in January than at any time in almost 15 years, according to Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index figures released Jan. 19.

The cost of living in the United States climbed for a fifth month on the back of shelter and fuel prices, pushing inflation closer to the Federal Reserve’s goal.