Sept. retail sales rise, third monthly increase

[babylonsister]

Sept. retail sales rise, third monthly increase
AP

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer – 31 mins ago


WASHINGTON – Americans spent more money on cars, furniture and at hardware stores to boost retail sales to a third monthly increase in September.

The string of gains since July followed declines in May and June. Those had raised worries that the country could be in danger of toppling back into recession. Economists caution that while the economy is growing, the expansion is not strong enough to lower face high unemployment and offset weak income growth.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said during a speech Friday in Boston that the Fed is prepared to take further steps to rejuvenate the economy by buying Treasury bonds. But he said Fed policymakers are wrestling with how big the program should be.

The Fed is widely expected to announce a Treasury buying program at their next meeting Nov. 2-3. The Fed's bond purchases would be intended to lower long-term interest rates to stimulate buying and spending and help lower unemployment.

Bernanke also indicated that policymakers are trying to craft a plan to strengthen the economy and lift inflation from super-low levels.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101015/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy

[Clio the Leo]

1. kick nt

[WI_DEM]

2. The economic news starting in August began to improve, too late to help us in '10

but when Obama runs in '12 we will have a much better economy to run on and will help in congressional races too.

[Cosmocat]

3. YEP ...

it is not going to be a 90s like .com boom, but big business can't hold back any longer regardless of the outcome in the elections next month, they have to grow or stagnant out of business ... It won't be monster growth, but real slow STEADY growth, and in a year and half, the outcomes will be marked enough show gains ...

The "slowest recovery ever" chant will ring hollow ...

Meanwhile, it is the battle of the bulge ... Find SOMEWAY to keep both chambers so the Rs can't use congress to attack the president, and they will try to claim responsiblity for any gains based on greater numbers, they can't point to one chamber of their own to claim responsiblity ...

Get it done SOMEHOW, someway in three weeks ...