Consumer Spending Dipped In October; Superstorm Sandy Blamed

By Mark Memmott

Published November 30, 2012 at 9:12 AM EST

Nov. 17: A sign in a Staten Island storefront tells a lot. It was still closed because of the damage done by Superstorm Sandy in late October.

The economic effects of Superstorm Sandy continue to be felt. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, consumer spending edged down 0.2 percent in October from September, and personal income dipped 0.1 percent.

As Bloomberg News says, "Sandy kept some in the Northeast from getting to work or from shopping at malls and car dealerships."

Economist Chris Christopher at IHS Global Insight tells Bloomberg that "holiday sales will be a little weaker than we originally thought" because Sandy "took out some of the momentum."

Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.

See stories by Mark Memmott

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