The Bureau of Economic Analysis’s monthly personal income and expenditure figures are out today. Income ticked up 0.5 percent to $13.11 trillion in December from $13.04 trillion in November, while spending dropped a bit—0.02 percent to $10.861 trillion from $10.863 trillion. Personal income is up 7.2 percent from December 2007, but this growth has been outpaced by the rise in inflation—up 14 percent in that period—as measured by the core Consumer Price Index.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis’s monthly personal income and expenditure figures are out today. Income ticked up 0.5 percent to $13.11 trillion in December from $13.04 trillion in November, while spending dropped a bit—0.02 percent to $10.861 trillion from $10.863 trillion.

Personal income is up 7.2 percent from December 2007, but this growth has been outpaced by the rise in inflation—up 14 percent in that period—as measured by the core Consumer Price Index.