Americans Save Less to Sustain Spending as Income Gains Cool

Americans kept on spending in September as income gains cooled, pushing down the savings rate to the lowest this year. Inflation matched the Federal Reserve’s target, reinforcing the central bank’s outlook for gradual interest-rate hikes. Bloomberg reports:

Purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, rose 0.4 percent from the prior month, matching economists’ estimates, following an upwardly revised 0.5 percent increase, Commerce Department figures showed Monday. Incomes advanced a less-than-projected 0.2 percent, the weakest in more than a year, while Americans saved 6.2 percent of their disposable income, matching the lowest level since 2013.