Handouts stimulate shopping spree

Submitted 6/05/2009

APP


Consumers spent a record $19.3 billion in March, as the Federal Government started rolling out billions of dollars in a second round of cash handouts. Retail trade jumped by a seasonally adjusted 2.2 per cent over the month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said today. Economists had expected a 0.5 per cent increase. During the three months to March, retail spending grew 1.0 per cent after an 0.6 per cent rise in the previous quarter.