{"id":22328,"date":"2026-07-30T20:03:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=22328"},"modified":"2026-07-30T20:03:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:03:05","slug":"the-economy-slowed-a-bit-but-americans-continued-to-spend-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=22328","title":{"rendered":"The economy slowed a bit &#8212; but Americans continued to spend : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-136303\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 4794;&#10;        --source-height: 3196;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x3196+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Consumer spending continued to power the U.S. economy in April, May and June, as GDP expanded at an annual rate of 1.5%.\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Consumer spending continued to power the U.S. economy in April, May and June, as GDP expanded at an annual rate of 1.5%.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Joe Raedle\/Getty Images North America<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><br \/>\n              <svg class=\"icon icon--info\"><use href=\"#icon-info\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Joe Raedle\/Getty Images North America<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The U.S. economy grew more slowly this spring than it did earlier in the year, but consumers continue to spend freely. <\/p>\n<p>Gross domestic product \u2014 the broadest measure of economic activity \u2014 grew at an annual rate of 1.5% in April, May and June, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/bea.gov\/news\/2026\/gdp-advance-estimate-2nd-quarter-2026\" target=\"_blank\">a report<\/a> Thursday from the Commerce Department.  That&#8217;s a modest slowdown from the first three months of the year when GDP grew at a 2.1% pace.  A decline in government spending and a jump in imports, which count against the domestic tally, account for much of the change.<\/p>\n<p>Consumer spending continues to power the economy, growing at a solid 2.1% pace during the second quarter. It&#8217;s not clear how long shoppers can keep that up, however, in the face of rising prices. <\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5913230-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" --><\/p>\n<p>A separate report from the Commerce Department shows <a href=\"https:\/\/bea.gov\/news\/2026\/personal-income-and-outlays-june-2026\" target=\"_blank\">prices in June were up 3.7%<\/a> from a year earlier.  Inflation has been outpacing wage gains in recent months, forcing shoppers to dip into savings or borrow money to support their spending.  The personal savings rate fell to 2.7% in June \u2014 a three year low.  <\/p>\n<p>The Commerce Department&#8217;s inflation yardstick is closely watched by the Federal Reserve.  Prices have been climbing faster than the central bank would like. But the Fed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/29\/nx-s1-5910558\/federal-reserve-interest-rates-inflation\" target=\"_blank\">opted not to raise its benchmark interest rate<\/a> on Wednesday.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5913230-101\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5910558\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/29\/nx-s1-5910558\/federal-reserve-interest-rates-inflation\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/29\\\/nx-s1-5910558\\\/federal-reserve-interest-rates-inflation&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2649x2649+662+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F95%2Fa3eacef54efebc1a245001e55d9f%2Fgettyimages-2286063371-1.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2649x2649+662+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F95%2Fa3eacef54efebc1a245001e55d9f%2Fgettyimages-2286063371-1.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2649x2649+662+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F95%2Fa3eacef54efebc1a245001e55d9f%2Fgettyimages-2286063371-1.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2649x2649+662+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F95%2Fa3eacef54efebc1a245001e55d9f%2Fgettyimages-2286063371-1.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2649x2649+662+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F95%2Fa3eacef54efebc1a245001e55d9f%2Fgettyimages-2286063371-1.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2649x2649+662+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F95%2Fa3eacef54efebc1a245001e55d9f%2Fgettyimages-2286063371-1.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2649x2649+662+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F95%2Fa3eacef54efebc1a245001e55d9f%2Fgettyimages-2286063371-1.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2649x2649+662+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F95%2Fa3eacef54efebc1a245001e55d9f%2Fgettyimages-2286063371-1.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 14: Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill on July 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. Warsh, President Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve, presented the Semi-Annual Monetary Policy Report to the committee. (Photo by Eric Lee\/Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5913230-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Trade swings weighed on GDP during the quarter.  Exports rose during the quarter, but imports rose faster.  <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Trade has gone up and down and all around and clearly the tariffs are swinging things around,&#8221; said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody&#8217;s Analytics.  &#8220;One quarter it might add to growth. The next quarter it might subtract from growth.  Net over time, it&#8217;s kind of sort of a wash.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Consumer spending continued to power the U.S. economy in April, May and June, as GDP expanded at an annual rate of 1.5%. Joe Raedle\/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Joe Raedle\/Getty Images North America The U.S. economy grew more slowly this spring than it did earlier in the year, but consumers continue to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4794x2697+0+250\/resize\/1400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2F7f%2F2ead573949d7841ebd56ac6dbd2e%2Fgettyimages-2025865112.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22328\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}