August spending stalls, with fuel masking softer purchases
Australian household spending was flat in August after two months of growth. Fuel spending rose while spending excluding fuel fell.
Source finding
ABS reports total spending unchanged month on month, fuel spending up 8.1%, and spending excluding fuel down 0.3%.
Our analysis
A flat headline can conceal pressure on discretionary budgets when essential transport costs rise.
What remains uncertain
This current-price indicator is not the full national-accounts consumption measure and excludes some categories.