US April Consumption Rises 0.1% as Foreign Visitor Spending Drops 21%

1 articles · Updated · CounterPunch · Jun 1

April consumer spending rose just 0.1%, a weak gain that followed two stronger months and reflected a pullback in car purchases.
Fast-food spending, used as a gauge of lower-income households' confidence, was 2.0% below its September peak and has been largely flat since late 2023.
Foreign travelers' real spending in the United States was nearly 21% below its December 2024 level, reversing a rapid rise seen in 2024.
Pharmaceutical spending still ran 4.1% above a year earlier, leaving the broader consumption data pointing to soft household sentiment and slower economic momentum.

Is the American fast-food habit dying from high prices or from new health fears and wonder drugs?

With fast food now a 'luxury,' are meal kits becoming the new affordable choice for American families?

As government negotiates drug prices, will the era of billion-dollar blockbuster medications soon be over?