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Consumer

15 May 12 - Consumer News

Consumer confidence up slightly in May
CONSUMER confidence has posted a modest rise after the central bank provided a large cut to the cash rate on May 1. The Westpac/Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index rose by 0.8 per cent to 95.3 index points in May, up from 94.5 in April.

We're saving for a gloomy day
A DISCONNECT between the strength of the Australian economy and the sense of fear, loathing and insecurity felt by the average Australian consumer has set the nation apart from the rest of the developed world, with even Italians and Spaniards more ...

US consumers hold back, even as gas prices fall
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER Lower gas prices in April weren't enough to embolden US consumers to spend much more elsewhere. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose only 0.1 percent last month.

Consumer prices down in US, up in Utah
US consumer prices were flat in April, largely because of a decline in gas prices, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Lower prices at the pump may be combining with steady job growth to power more spending on big purchases.

US Consumers Remain Cautious
By JEFFREY SPARSHOTT AND ERIC MORATH WASHINGTON—US retail sales barely inched ahead in April, reflecting cautious consumer spending after a strong start to the year. Retail and food service sales increased 0.1% last month to a seasonally adjusted ...

US STOCKS-Consumer shares lift Wall St, but Greece drags
Quarterly results helped boost the S&P consumer discretionary sector index, with TJX up 7.4 percent at $42.65 and Dick's Sporting Goods up 9.2 percent at $51.59.

Consumers calmer about rate slugs, major claims
What can a consumer do . One bank move the rates then the next moves down or up by a fraction. No government protection so you move to another bank and they do the same.

GM to drop Facebook ads due to low consumer impact
While GM gave no specific reason for dropping Facebook ads, a source familiar with the automaker's plans said the company's marketing executives decided Facebook's ads had little impact on consumers. While GM's decision could be an exception in the ...

Consumer love for mobile sparks discontent with Microsoft's software
By Gregg Keizer Computerworld - Satisfaction with Microsoft's software slipped last year, part of an industrywide downturn driven by US consumer discontent with traditional PC programs, a national survey said today. Microsoft scored 75 points in the ...

Consumer e-book suit against Apple, publishers gets go-ahead
... Apple and five big publishers are still on the hook to battle allegations of price fixing after a US district court judge rejected their bid to dismiss a consumer lawsuit accusing them of colluding to maintain artificially high e-book prices.

Consumer court finds case too hot, leaves it to civil court
The Mohali Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has dismissed a complaint filed by Zirakpur resident Inderjit Verma against an electronics goods showroom on the ground that the facts involved were too complicated and needed “elaborate cross examination” ...

GM to drop Facebook ads due to low consumer impact
A source familiar with the automakers plans said GMs marketing executives decided Facebooks ads had little impact on consumers. While GMs decision could be an exception in the advertising world, it marked the first highly visible crack in the Facebook ...

Metro area consumer prices rise in April
PrintAa Metro area consumer prices rise in April 56 m ago By James T. Madore Prices in the metropolitan area increased moderately last month, with the cost of health care, groceries and gasoline rising the most.

Consumer prices showed no growth in April
Last month's consumer-price index matched the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News and followed three straight gains that included a 0.3 percent rise in March, Labor Department data showed.

Consumer Reports: Best gas grills
The testers at Consumer Reports went to great lengths to get you the answer just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. "Everybody loves a barbecue" -- that's the slogan for Gina Hegarty's catering company.

Consumer Credit Default Rates Decreased Further in April 2012 According to the ...
NEW YORK, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Data through April 2012, released today by S&P Indices and Experian for the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices, a comprehensive measure of changes in consumer credit defaults showed that, ...

Consumer Debt Surge Highest Since 2001
Total US consumer credit grew by $21.36 billion in March, according to the latest figures from the Federal Reserve. That was the biggest month-to-month jump since 2001 led by a surge in auto loans, personal loans and student loans, which combined for ...

US stock futures rise, consumer spending edged up
Stock futures rose Tuesday as government data showed that consumers spent slightly more in April as prices remained flat. Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 60 points to 12715.

New credit cards reflect consumer push-back
The three newest consumer credit cards - two from Bank of America, one from JPMorgan Chase - reflect consumer exasperation with some of the current card "features" that may not look so good to savvy travelers.

S&P/Experian: Consumer Defaults Decline In April To 1.86%
Consumer defaults declined again in April, reaching new lows across several loan types, according to a monthly survey from Standard & Poor's Indexes and Experian PLC (EXPGY, EXPN.