U.S. consumer spending grew the tiniest of margins at 0.1% in January, while incomes grew 0.2% in February.
The Commerce Department said that the weak gain in consumer spending followed a 0.6% plunge in December that marked the biggest one-month drop in more than nine years. The 0.2% rise in incomes in February came after a 0.1% drop in incomes in January.
The government had also revised down gross domestic product growth to 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of economic activity, is a major reason for the slowdown.