Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
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In an article that reported on the Commerce Department’s release of consumption data from September, the Washington Post told readers that: “consumer spending was stuck in the doldrums.” Actually, the report showed a very high rate of spending relative to income. The saving rate fell from 5.6 percent in August to 5.3 percent in September. Historically the saving rate has averaged more than 8.0 percent, so consumers are currently spending at a high level relative to their income.