U.S. consumer spending dips; inflation creeps up

(Reuters) - U.S. consumer spending fell for the first time in a year in April after two months of solid gains, but the decline is likely temporary given a strengthening jobs market.

Asian factories, US jobs show improvement

NEW YORK/BEIJING: Private U.S. firms stepped up hiring last month and factories showed modest improvement, surveys showed Thursday, while Asia's large economies started to pick up after a year of slower growth.