As the pumpkins, sweet-wrappers and ghostly garbs are cleared away, forecasters expect American Halloween spending bills to have broken records. The average shopper was projected to spend $108 on sweets, costumes and decorations during this trick-or-treating season — with total expenditure set to exceed $12bn. But even before the October 31 festivities, it has been clear that the US consumer is experiencing a sugar rush.America’s economy grew at a 4.9 per cent annualised rate in the third quarter; the fastest since 2021. With consumer spending accounting for two-thirds of the economy, much of the jump is down to a surprise shopping spree. Retail sales registered their sixth-straight month of growth in September. The resilience of the US consumer defies the gloomy economic backdrop — 18 months of high inflation, rising interest rates and plenty of uncertainty. Real consumption spending has grown almost 2 percentage points more than private forecasters expected this time last year.
万圣节(Halloween)过后，在南瓜、糖果包装纸和幽灵服装被打扫干净之际，预测者预计美国人在今年万圣节的支出打破了纪录。在这个“不给糖就捣蛋”的季节，购物者平均花费108美元购买糖果、服装和装饰品，总支出超过120亿美元。但即使在这个每年10月31日举行的活动之前，美国消费者就显然在经历一场“糖果风暴”。