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WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence has fallen for a third consecutive month as optimism about job prospects and business conditions down the road grow weaker.

The Federal Reserve, issuing its latest assessment of business conditions around the country, reported Oct. 16 that “persistent trade tensions and slower global growth” were weighing on the economy.

WASHINGTON — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods showed a slight increase in August but a key sector that tracks business investment plans declined, likely reflecting fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

The U.S. economy grew at a modest 2% annual rate in the second quarter, a pace sharply lower than the 3%-plus growth rates seen over the past year. Many analysts believe growth will slow further in coming quarters as global weakness and rising trade tensions exert a toll.

WASHINGTON — For a second straight time, the Federal Reserve is set to cut interest rates this week to try to protect the economy from the consequences of a global slowdown and President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.

Consumer spending rose a healthy 0.3% in June, slightly below the strong gains of the past three months, while incomes turned in a solid 0.4% gain for the fourth straight month.

The Commerce Department said May 31 that consumer spending increased 0.3% in April after a 1.1% surge in March that had been the largest increase in nearly a decade. Personal income growth, which had been lagging in recent months, jumped 0.5% in April.

WASHINGTON — U.S. industrial production fell in April, dragged by a big drop in factory output as production of autos and auto parts continued to slide.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending tumbled 0.5% in December, the biggest decline in nine years, as the holiday shopping season ended in disappointment. Meanwhile, incomes rose sharply in December but edged down in January.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy slowed in the final three months of last year to an annual growth rate of 2.6%, the slowest pace since the beginning of 2018, as the government shutdown and other factors took a toll on growth. Economists believe growth has slowed even more in the current quarter.