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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumers increased their debt in November by a seasonally adjusted $20.4 billion, the largest increase since November 2001, the Federal Reserve reported Monday. Monthly debt rose at a 10% annual rate in November, a much faster pace than had been expected by Wall Street economists.

Do you have information about a company that you think has violated federal consumer financial laws? Are you a current or former employee of such a company, an industry insider who knows about such a company, or even a competitor being unfairly undercut by such a company? If so, the CFPB wants to hear from you. Tipsters and whistleblowers are encouraged to send information about what they know to whistleblower@cfpb.gov. Current employees providing information about their own employers – known as “whistleblowers” – may be protected from being fired or from other employer retaliation for providing us information. To learn...

Today the NY Fed released its quarterly report on consumer credit, and in it is a wealth of charts on the nature of consumer debt. The charts did contain a red flag: For the first time since the recovery began, there were clear signs that in Q3, consumers started falling behind on paying their debts following several quarter of improvement. It's not across all categories, and it's not necessarily even dramatic in some cases, but it is notable for the reversal in the pattern.

The Personal Income and Outlays report for September covers individual income, consumption and savings. Overall the report shows bad news as once again, America's income is rising less than spending. Spending is up 2.2% while disposable income has only increased 0.2% from this time last year. Adjusted for inflation it's even worse, real disposable income dropped -0.1% while real spending increased +0.5% from August to September. Personal consumption expenditures, often called consumer spending, increased 0.6% and in real dollars, is up 0.5% for September. Real Personal Consumption Expenditures, or PCE, are about 70% of GDP. Real means chained to...

Asian brands continue to dominate Consumer Reports' 2011 Annual Auto Survey, sweeping the top nine spots. Toyota's American brand Scion leads the pack, followed by Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Honda, and Toyota. The brands scored strong on predicted reliability tests. Of the 91 Japanese models for which Consumer Reports has sufficient data, 87 (96 percent) were rated average or better. 24 Japanese models earned the highest rating.

The nonprofit organization said its consumer-confidence index declined to 39.8 in October from a September level of 46.4, which was upwardly revised from a prior estimate of 45.4. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected a reading of 46 for October; when the economy is growing at a good clip, confidence readings are at 90 and above... ...The Conference Board’s expectations barometer fell to 48.7 in October from 55.1 in September. The percentage of those who expected business conditions to be “better” in six months declined, while most expected the same conditions...

...The Labor Department said the consumer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% last month, pushing the increase over the past 12 months up to 3.9% from 3.8% in August... The core rate of inflation, meanwhile, rose a smaller 0.1% in September, keeping its 12-month increase at 2.0%. It was the smallest increase since March. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast consumer price index, which tracks inflation at the retail level, to rise by 0.3% in September. The core rate was expected to increase by 0.2%

...The preliminary sentiment reading for October hit 57.5, compared with 59.4 in September. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a slight rise, to 59.7, with volatility in the stock market offsetting lower gas prices...

A gauge of consumer sentiment declined in October, as expectations and views on current conditions fell... The preliminary sentiment reading for October hit 57.5, compared with 59.4 in September. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a slight rise, to 59.7, with volatility in the stock market offsetting lower gas prices. ... The sentiment reading, which covers how consumers view their personal finances as well as business and buying conditions, averaged about 87 in the year before the start of the most recent recession.

The final reading for September showed that sentiment rose to 59.4 from 55.7 in August, which was the lowest level since November 2008. A preliminary reading released earlier this month estimated a sentiment level of 57.8 for September. With stock volatility and weak employment maintaining downward pressure on sentiment, economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a slight rise to 57.6 in September.

As expectations slightly gained, consumer confidence ticked higher in September while remaining at low levels, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. The nonprofit organization said its consumer-confidence index rose to 45.4 in September from 45.2 in August, when it had plunged on worries about jobs and the U.S. debt, among other factors... Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected a September reading of 46.1...The August confidence reading was upwardly revised from a prior estimate of 44.5.

Consumer sentiment inched up in early September, but Americans remained gloomy about the future with a gauge of expectations falling to the lowest level since 1980, a survey released Friday showed. Getty Images The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment edged up to 57.8 from 55.7 the month before, which had been the lowest level since November 2008. It topped the median forecast of 56.5 among economists polled by Reuters. "Overall, the data indicate that a renewed downturn in consumer spending is as likely as not in the year ahead," survey director Richard...

The preliminary sentiment reading for September increased to 57.8 from 55.7 in August. The August reading was the lowest level since November 2008 with Washington’s protracted debt-ceiling negotiations taking a toll on consumers. “The mood of Americans remains dark so far this month, but not as dark as in August. Not that they can be blamed...,” wrote Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets... ...Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a reading of 57.3...

...The Labor Department on Thursday said consumer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in August. The increase was largely responsible for a 0.6% drop in the average hourly wages of U.S. workers, adjusted for inflation. It marked the biggest one-month decline in more than three years. Stripping out the volatile food and energy categories, the “core” rate of consumer price inflation rose a smaller 0.2%. Yet the core rate has also been rising steadily, hitting a 12-month level of 2.0% for the first time since November 2008.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumers increased their debt by a seasonally adjusted $12.0 billion, or at a 5.9% annual rate, in July, the Federal Reserve reported Thursday.

Stores are trying everything they can think of to disguise the fact that you're going to pay more for clothes this fall. Some are using less fabric and calling it the new look. Others are adding cheap stitching and trumpeting it as a redesign. And the buttons on that blouse? Chances are you're not going to think it's worth paying several dollars more for the shirt just to have them. Retailers are raising prices on merchandise an average of 10 percent across-the-board this fall in an effort to offset their rising costs for materials and labor. But merchants are worried...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The cost of living for Americans rebounded in July after a rare decline in June, data showed Thursday. The consumer price index, tracking the rate of inflation at the retail level, increased 0.5% in July, the biggest gain since March, the Labor Department said. The growth was above the consensus forecast of economists polled by MarketWatch who had been looking a 0.4% increase.

The U.S. dollar may weaken and Treasury yields rise when Asian markets reopen on Monday, though any selling in response to ratings agency S&P's downgrade of the United States is likely to be tempered by the escalating crisis in the euro zone. The S&P cut in the U.S. long-term credit rating by a notch to AA-plus is an unprecedented blow and results from concerns about the nation's budget deficits and climbing debt burden. It called the outlook "negative," signaling another downgrade is possible in the next 12 to 18 months. "The initial reaction will be a high degree of uncertainty...

Highlights: Consumer credit grew to $15.5 billion, to an annual rate of $2.45 trillion in June. Biggest jump in consumer credit since August 2007. Revolving credit (e.g. credit cards) grew 7.9%, or $5.21 billion. Nonrevolving credit (e.g. auto & student loans) grew 7.6%, or $10.32 billion.

Elizabeth Warren will exit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before it officially launches, according to a single-sourced Bloomberg report last night. According to an unnamed “briefed� person, Obama will dump the controversial Warren for someone already working at the CFPB, and the announcement will come next week: Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard professor, was appointed last fall by Obama to set up the consumer bureau until a director was named. Warren previously was head of the congressional watchdog panel overseeing the bank bailout. This was one of those “temporary� assignments that an administration would eventually make permanent. Warren, however, became a...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The cost of living for Americans fell last month for the first time in a year, mainly because of a drop in gasoline prices, the Labor Department reported Friday. The consumer-price index fell a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in June. Energy costs sank 4.4% — the largest decline since December 2008 — as the price of gas and household electricity decreased. Gas prices fell 6.8% and electricity declined 1.6%, the biggest drop in 14 years. The cost of food rose 0.2%, though it was the smallest monthly increase in 2011.

To understand whether our recovery is in jeopardy, we must first grasp what prospers us, why economies recede and then what rejuvenates them. There is a natural symphony to the market. Everyone seeks the best available outcome. Our unlimited desires are tempered by scarcity, yet we all strive to get what we can while wanting still more. Price signals orchestrate this perpetual friction between buyers and sellers into a concert of mutual satisfaction. Wealth creation emanates from the value sellers add for which buyers are willing to pay, but buyers ensure efficient utilization of resources by insisting on lower prices....

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Consumer confidence fell in June to the worst level in eight months on concerns about employment and income, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. The nonprofit organization said its consumer-confidence index fell to 58.5 in June from an upwardly revised 61.7 in May. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected a June reading of 60.5. “Overall, we take this as another sign of the cooler economic conditions that we judge likely to prove transitory, but the data does point to downside risks for a rebound in the labor market in June,” wrote David Resler, chief economist at Nomura Securities...

I found this quite by accident. It tracks every kind of U.S. product recall that is out there. There is also a separate section that includes Australia, NZ, UK, Canada, & the EU Pretty handy!

Citi: Don't Worry Consumers, Inflation Is Only Affecting Things You Buy Every Day Gregory White May 16, 2011, 8:26 AMU.S. consumers are under the impression that inflation is actually much worse than it is, according to Citi's Robert DiClemente. DiClemente points to the fact that prices are rising sharply, but for only 30% of the consumer price index basket. Unfortunately, that happens to be the part of their basket consumers buy regularly, so it's having a large psychological impact. From Robert DiClemente: Nonetheless, popular perceptions have been skewed by the fact that consumers buy food and energy so often. It...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The prices that American consumers paid for goods and services rose 0.4% in April, with higher gasoline costs accounting for more than half the increase, the government reported Friday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the consumer-price index, which tracks the cost of living, to increase 0.4% in April. Consumer prices have jumped an unadjusted 3.2% over the past year, the largest 12-month increase since October 2008. As recently as November, the 12-month increase was 1.1%. Surging oil prices accounted for the bulk of the CPI increase, as the energy index jumped 2.2% last month. Energy prices...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Sales at U.S. retailers increased for the 10th straight month in April, further evidence that the economy’s moving ahead at a gradual pace, according to the government’s latest data. Retail sales rose 0.5% in April to a seasonally adjusted $389.4 billion, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday. March sales were revised up to show 0.9% growth from an initial estimate of 0.4% growth; February sales were revised higher as well. Compared with April 2010, sales are up 7.6%... Excluding a 0.2% increase in sales of motor vehicles, retail sales rose 0.6% for April. Economists had expected a 0.7%...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Consumer confidence recovered somewhat in April, though the impact of a spike in gasoline prices is still evident, according to data released Tuesday by the Conference Board. The confidence index hit 65.4 in April, compared with an upwardly revised 63.8 in March. That’s still below the 72.0 reading of February, as gasoline prices nationally have approached $4 per gallon. The increase came as consumers’ 12-month inflation expectations declined to 6.3% in April from 6.7% in March. In addition, consumer views about the present situation improved.

Addressing misconceptions about the Consumer Price Index A number of longstanding myths regarding the Consumer Price Index and its methods of construction continue to circulate; this article attempts to address some of the misconceptions, with an eye toward increasing public understanding of this key economic indicator. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), has generated controversy throughout its history. A soon-to-be-published article by Marshall Reinsdorf and Jack Triplett discusses the many past reviews of the methods and data used in the CPI’s construction.1 Beginning with an advisory committee appointed by the American Statistical Association...

Nearly two years into recovery, American households are still leaning heavily on the crutch of government — more specifically, government borrowing. That should be obvious based on this year's projected $1.5 trillion federal deficit, with tax revenues at their lowest level as a share of the economy since 1950 and outlays near their highest point since World War II.

Shoppers increased retail sales 0.3% last month, the seventh straight gain but the weakest since June. Ex autos, sales also rose 0.6%, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Economists had expected a 0.5% overall gain and a 0.6% ex autos increase. January’s modest gains came amid brutal winter storms in much of the country. Then again, some analysts had expected late December sales to boost shopping last month. December sales were revised down a touch to 0.5% rise. January reflected the third straight month of decelerating gains.

I HEART CPAs... Pr Newswire: The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index (the Index) continued to decline in January, hitting its lowest level since August 2009. The Index attempts to track consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending. "Growing weakness in real wages and a tax rate that is creeping higher offset small improvements in initial jobless claims during the month of January," said Carl Steidtmann, Deloitte's chief economist and author of the monthly Index. "Although real consumer spending has been rising at a healthy pace, inflationary pressures may begin to crimp Americans' buying power in the months ahead,...

Exports fueled the initial stages of China's ongoing economic boom. Now, however, the government in Beijing is placing a greater emphasis on domestic consumption. The Chinese middle class, it would seem, are more than happy to toe the line. The crowds jostle as they push forward. Men in black uniforms survey the scene as they stand guard. A Communist Party convention? Hardly. Rather, it is the official opening of the first Gap store on Chinese soil. By 10 a.m., the crowds of people jamming into the store in Shanghai had grown thick. In a building down the street, the German...

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Wis., plans to introduce legislation repealing the Dodd-Frank financial services law, calling it “misguided” and a “blatant abuse of power.” A key criticism by Rep. Bachmann is a provision in the law that allows the federal government to take over failing non-bank institutions, such as American International Group, according to Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and a prime architect of the legislation. In a statement, Rep. Frank said another key objection to the legislation by Rep. Bachmann and her conservative supporters is the creation of the independent Consumer Financial Protection...

Bank of America will begin testing a new slate of checking accounts in Massachusetts and two other states later this month in an effort to generate more revenue from customers.......... A second new account, called “Premium,’’ will cost $15 a month unless customers either maintain a $5,000 minimum balance, use a Bank of America credit card at least once a month, or add $2,000 to the account every month. A third new account, labeled “Enhanced,’’ will cost $25 per month unless holders maintain at least $20,000 in deposits and investments in certain accounts or link their accounts to a Bank...

Today's must see TV comes from the following interview of Pimm Fox on the consumer and the economy with retail expert Howard Davidowitz, who in 10 minutes provides more quality content and logical thought than we have seen from CNBC guests in probably all of 2010 (except of course for that one time when Erin Burnett kicked out Mike Pento, but that's a different story). Where does one start? Probably at the end: "I am not surprised by the strength of retail sales, because i knew that 30% of consumers are responsible for retail sales, and these 30% did much...

The federal tax bill passed by Congress yesterday includes some extras for the middle class and lots of goodies for the wealthy. But individuals making less than $20,000 and households making less than $40,000 a year will actually get less tax relief in 2011 than they got in 2010 and 2009. That's because the Making Work Pay credit, a temporary tax credit that's been in effect for the past two years, is going away as of January 1. That credit provides up to $400 per individual, $800 per household, for all eligible workers. And it adds more to the pockets...

The latest screw the consumer attack is coming from Angus Beef cattlemen and America's meat sellers. Try and find a piece of meat with the "Certified Angus Beef" (CAB) sticker on it that also has the acceptable USDA grade on it. Very difficult, if at all. My local market managers when asked about the USDA grade on thier CAB meat say: "Oh, it's choice or select." So how are we supposed to know which? I don't knowingly buy "select". This is a scam...ripoff...and consumer fraud! Complain to your meat seller and tell your congressman to force the USDA to stop...

President Barack Obama's administration has bought almost a fourth of the Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. hybrid vehicles sold since he took office, accelerating federal purchases as consumer demand wanes. The U.S. General Services Administration, which runs the government fleet, bought at least 14,584 hybrid vehicles in the past two fiscal years, or about 10 percent of 145,473 vehicles the agency purchased in that period, according to sales data obtained by Bloomberg under a Freedom of Information Act request. In fiscal 2008, hybrids accounted for less than 1 percent of government purchases, the data showed.

Confidence in government economic policies has fallen to the lowest level since the closing months of the Bush presidency, with just 11% of consumers holding favorable evaluations of Obama’s policies. Although mid-term elections primarily respond to local rather than national issues, residents of nearly all local areas expressed economic discontent. It would not be surprising for confidence to rebound after the election; it would be surprising if those gains proved to be more than temporary. If the lame duck Congress does not immediately pass an extension of the Bush tax cuts, not even deep discounts will secure modest gains in...

Consumer Confidence Rebounds In October, Beats Expectations Gregory White Oct. 26, 2010, 10:00 AM Consumer confidence rose to 50.2 in October. Expectations were for a 50. In September, consumer confidence plunged to 48.5. That was a seven month low. Markets barely moved on the news, and still remain negative. Dow down 0.33% NASDAQ down 0.44% S&P 500 down 0.33% Check out 20 signs the American consumer is completely tapped out >[snip]

HHS Defends Consumer Website After Insurer Group Questions A New FeatureArticle Date: 04 Oct 2010 - 0:00 PDT HealthCare.Gov, the consumer health care insurance website run by the federal government, unveiled a slew of new features Friday morning, but the insurance industry raised some concerns. The Hill: New data posted Friday on the government's health insurance Web portal offer consumers a "pretty good measure" of their chances of being denied coverage, the deputy director of HHS's Office of Consumer Support said. 'It's not perfect,' said Karen Pollitz, 'but it gives you a pretty good idea about what to expect in...

The Recent Collapse In Consumer Growth Has Been WORSE Than The Great Recession Doug Short Oct. 4, 2010, 3:32 PM For the past several months, the Consumer Metrics Institute's Daily Growth Index has been one of the most interesting data series I follow, and I recommend bookmarking the Institute's website. Their page of frequently asked questions is an excellent introduction to the service. The charts below focus on the 'Trailing Quarter' Growth Index, which is computed as a 91-day moving average for the year-over-year growth/contraction of the Weighted Composite Index, an index that tracks near real-time consumer behavior in a...

President Obama will select Elizabeth Warren to join the administration in a special advisory role to help form the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a watchdog agency she first proposed back in 2007. The move, first reported by ABC News' Jake Tapper, gives Warren an important role in creation of the bureau, but avoids, for now, a confirmation fight in the Senate. Her selection will appease a slew of prominent lawmakers, progressives, and labor unions who in recent months have clamored for her nomination to the post. After all, the new agency -- part of the sweeping Wall Street reform...

The Obama administration is considering appointing the legal scholar Elizabeth Warren to run a new consumer bureau on a temporary basis to avoid a potentially bruising confirmation battle in the Senate, according to people who have been briefed on the search.

FDIC's expanded authority is part of the 2,300-page Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act signed into law on July 21. The new regime for dissolving megacompanies -- one with almost no judicial oversight and in which creditors' rights are few. A company has essentially no choice about the FDIC taking over as receiver. "It may be difficult to try to draw a box around what that is," said Renée Dailey

In George Orwell’s brilliant novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, one of the characters, Syme, in discussing the nature of Newspeak, says “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.” Newspeak was a systematic attempt by the dictators of Oceania, a totalitarian society eerily similar to North Korea, to control thought by eliminating words that gave rise to ideas they disapproved. What Syme and Orwell are talking about is that the destruction of words is the destruction of ideas. There is a parallel to this in contemporary economic thought. Mainstream economists, Keynesians, Neo-Keynesians, and Neoclassicists, would have you believe that what common sense...

Grab the resuscitation paddles. The American consumer has lost the will to shop. Haven't you heard? Jolts of stimulus cash are needed to get sales registers ringing again and restore lost jobs. Don't believe it. Such logic was used to justify programs like the "cash for clunkers" incentive, which expired a year ago, and additional cash perks for home buyers, which ran out in April. Judging by data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the programs failed to produce a surge of home-building and car-making jobs. The two charts below suggest why. The first shows our supposed crisis of...

In another sign the economic recovery is stalling, Intel -- whose fortunes are a key barometer of the technology sector's health -- cut its forecast for third-quarter sales, citing "weaker than expected demand for consumer PCs in mature markets." The Santa Clara company -- the worlds' biggest chip maker -- said it now expects its revenue for the quarter to range between $10.8 billion and $11.2 billion, compared with its previous prediction of $11.2 billion to $12 billion.

Uncertainty about the economy continued to shake consumer confidence in July, pushing a key measure of morale to the lowest level since February. The Conference Board, a New York-based research group, said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index dropped for a second straight month, to 50.4 in July from June's upwardly revised level of 54.3. July's reading was lower than expected. Economists had forecast the index to have ticked down to 51 in July from 52.9 in June, according to a consensus estimate from Briefing.com. "Consumer confidence faded further in July as consumers continue to grow increasingly more pessimistic about...