Consumers are the Bright Spot in Economy By Jeremy Jones, CFA - August 26, 2016 Personal consumption spending in the 2nd quarter increased at an almost 4.4% annual rate while broader GDP growth barely cleared the 1% hurdle. GDP is the blue bars in the chart and personal consumption spending is the gold line. Share this:EmailTwitterFacebook RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Do Lower Mortgage Rates Matter if House Prices Are Still High? This Has Never Happened to German Bonds Before Now Time to Get Defensive?