US consumer spending rose for the sixth consecutive month in March, up 0.6 percent in line with expectations, figures released by the Commerce Department showed Monday. Seasonally adjusted figures showed spending, a key driver of the US economy, rose as Americans saved less. Spending was up from February's 0.5 percent figure.
For the second straight month, growth in spending outpaced incomes, which increased 0.3 percent for the month.
Adjusted for inflation, disposable income also rose from February flat figure to 0.2 percent in March, the first increase in three months.
Inflation-adjusted spending was up 0.5 percent in March, building on the same gain the previous month, the Commerce Department figures showed.
The increase in spending drove a drop in the personal savings rate in March to 2.7 percent, the lowest level since September 2008, when the devastating financial crisis was reaching its peak.
Various indicators suggest the economy has recovered significantly since then, but analysts fear that an unemployment rate of almost 10 percent could dampen the recovery.