Consumer spending up again in Australia

Retail spending in Australia rose for the eighth straight month in March as consumers overcame a lack of confidence in the economy and spent more on services such as entertainment.

The Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator rose by 0.8 per cent in trend terms in March, after a 0.8 per cent gain in February.

CommSec chief economist Craig James said spending had been gathering momentum and business sales figures were looking brighter, despite consumers facing several economic hurdles.