Scott Horsley

A report from the Commerce Department shows personal spending jumped more than half a percent in August.

Revised figures show spending in April, May, and June was also stronger than initially reported.

Spending on housing is still in a slump, though.

Sales of existing homes fell in August, even as sales of new homes jumped.

Mortgage rates inched up this week to an average of 6.3 percent on a 30-year loan.

For the week, the Dow slipped a tenth of a percent, the S&P 500 index fell a third of a percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped two-thirds of a percent.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Sales of existing homes fell by two-tenths of a percent in August, extending a months-long slump.

The number of homes on the market was also down, but the average selling price inched up to more than $422,000.

Revised figures from the Commerce Department show the U.S.

economy grew faster during the spring than had been reported in

GDP grew at an annual pace of 3.8 percent in April, May and June, up from an earlier estimate of 3.3 percent.

The nation's trade deficit narrowed in August as higher tariffs took effect.

The trade gap had widened the previous month as importers raced to beat those higher taxes.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

U.S. employers added 139,000 jobs in May, down slightly from the previous month. Job gains for March and April were revised down by a total of 95,000 jobs. There was a sizable drop in the workforce last month as 625,000 people stopped working or looking for work. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent. Many of the jobs added in May were in health care and hospitality.

U.S. employers added 139,000 jobs in May, down slightly from the previous month. Job gains for March and April were revised down by a total of 95,000 jobs. There was a sizable drop in the workforce last month as 625,000 people stopped working or looking for work. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent. Many of the jobs added in May were in health care and hospitality.

The manufacturing sector cut 8,000 jobs last month, and retail employment fell by 6,500. Average hourly wages in May were up 3.9 percent from a year ago. Wages have been climbing faster than prices for the last two years. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

The manufacturing sector cut 8,000 jobs last month, and retail employment fell by 6,500. Average hourly wages in May were up 3.9 percent from a year ago. Wages have been climbing faster than prices for the last two years. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Trump is traveling to Pittsburgh today to celebrate a deal between U.S. Steel and the Japanese company Nippon Steel. As NPR's Tamara Keith explains, there are still a lot of missing details.