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French consumer spending shows surprise August fall
French consumer spending fell in August when it had been expected to rise, as shoppers cut spending on clothes, shoes and cars, raising questions over the robustness of a nascent economic recovery. Consumer spending, a key economic driver, fell 1.0 percent month-on-month in August, well below a consensus forecast for a 0.6 percent rise after a fall of 1.2 percent in July, national statistics office Insee said on Wednesday. France, along with Germany, surprised financial markets with a return to economic growth in the second quarter of this year, led by a rise in consumer spending, but economists fear rising ... (full story)