The economy enters its budget shopping era, with consumers doubling down on value even as they ramp up spending

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• Retail spending growth in June shows consumers are still opening their wallets, but an uncertain economic environment means they’re increasingly picky about where their money goes as they try to stretch dollars further. 

A consumer spending surge last month shows that tariffs haven’t quite killed the American shopper’s need to spend. Retail spending grew at a healthy pace of 0.6% in June, and core spending—a category excluding volatile sectors like gasoline—grew 3.9% from the year before.