Fargo A Tom News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

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 that's 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 lower, as parents stick to buying necessities. erika miller, "n.b.r.," new york. >> tom: still ahea...

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 that's 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 lower, as parents stick to buying necessities. erika miller, "n.b.r.," new york. >> tom: still ahea...

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 didn't just spend less at department stores, auto dealerships, and furniture stores. spending fell in june in almost every category. that's not the only worrisome sign. when retail sales fall three months in a row, it can sometimes signal recession. but that's probably not the case this time. >> the retail sales report was disappointing. it reflects ongoing slowdown in the global economy, ongoing weakness in th...

retail sector. erika miller reports. >> shoppers didn't just spend less at department stores, auto dealerships, and furniture stores. spending fell in june in almost every category. that's not the only worrisome sign. when retail sales fall three months in a row, it can sometimes signal recession. but that's 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 as no surprise when you see businesses not willing to add significant quantities. >> reporter: t...