The U.S. economy is motoring ahead of the rest of the world and generating the best job growth in years, but the ride is still not free of bumps. The latest jolt came from a report last week that showed consumer spending fell in July for the first time in six months. Soft spending has been a hallmark of a five-year-old recovery that’s been far weaker than is typically the case after a recession. Yet most economists believe the day is fast approaching when spending — the main engine of economic activity — picks up and boosts U.S. growth closer to its historic growth rate of 3.3%. The economy has only expanded at a 2% ... (full story)