Americans Kept Spending As Q3 Dawned. Inflation Generally Cooperative

After re-accelerating at the end of the second quarter, personal spending in the US picked up further at the beginning of Q3. That's according to closely watched data released on Thursday. Spending rose 0.8% in July, the BEA said. That was ahead of consensus and matched the highest estimate from nearly five-dozen economists. Real spending increased 0.6%, also more than anticipated. The robust read on consumption comes at a time when investors would prefer cooler data at the margins. As Jon