Fargo A Tom News Today

consumer spending in the months ahead. gasoline prices have fallen nearly 50 cents a gallon since they peaked in april. >> falling gasoline prices will certainly help the u.s. consumer. you couple that with modest improvements in nominal wages and what it points to, quite frankly, is a household standard of living thats improved. >> reporter: shoppertrak is predicting a strong 4% gain in august back-to-school sales. but there are plenty of skeptics who think sales will be flat or even ...

consumer spending in the months ahead. gasoline prices have fallen nearly 50 cents a gallon since they peaked in april. >> falling gasoline prices will certainly help the u.s. consumer. you couple that with modest improvements in nominal wages and what it points to, quite frankly, is a household standard of living thats improved. >> reporter: shoppertrak is predicting a strong 4% gain in august back-to-school sales. but there are plenty of skeptics who think sales will be flat or even ...

analysts were expecting an increase. not since the height of the financial crisis has there been a string of declines from the retail sector. erika miller reports. >> shoppers didnt just spend less at department stores, auto dealerships, and furniture stores. spending fell in june in almost every category. thats not the only worrisome sign. when retail sales fall three months in a row, it can sometimes signal recession. but thats probably not the case this time. >> the retail sales rep...

retail sector. erika miller reports. >> shoppers didnt just spend less at department stores, auto dealerships, and furniture stores. spending fell in june in almost every category. thats not the only worrisome sign. when retail sales fall three months in a row, it can sometimes signal recession. but thats probably not the case this time. >> the retail sales report was disappointing. it reflects ongoing slowdown in the global economy, ongoing weakness in the u.s. economy. it should come...