Yahoo Finance UK reporter Vicky McKeever writes:
Consumer card spending rebounded in August, after falling for two months in a row, as the late summer heatwave helped lift spirits.
Barclays said consumer spending on its debit and credit cards rose 1% year-on-year in August, having dipped 0.3% in July and 0.6% in June.
Spending on groceries was up 1.9%, representing its biggest increase since March. The bank said that this was fuelled by a surge in shopping at specialist food and drink stores, such as butchers and delicatessens, which saw spending up 5.1% with the arrival of picnic and barbecue weather.
Garden centres also benefitted from the late summer sunshine, with spending up 8% in August, as warmer weather encouraged Brits to invest more money in their outdoor spaces.
Even as shoppers continued to try to make cutbacks, nearly half of consumers surveyed said that they continued to spend money on small luxuries with sweet treats found to be the most popular type of pick-me-up.
Headlines:Markets:EUR leads, AUD lags on the dayEuropean equities lower; S&P 500 futures up 0.1%US 10-year yields down 2.7 bps to 4.255%Gold up 0.4% to $2,9
(Reuters) - European shares fell on Friday as frequent shifts in U.S. trade policy throughout the week resulted in risk aversion, while focus remained on th
US jobs report releasedNEWSFLASH: Hiring across the US economy picked up slightly at the start of Donald Trump’s second term in office.The US economy added 15