New Delhi, Dec. 7 -- WASHINGTON - American consumers, the unyielding engine of the world's largest economy, showed unmistakable signs of fatigue in September, with spending rising a tepid 0.3 percent after three months of robust gains. This slowdown, revealed in delayed government data released Friday amid the longest federal shutdown in history, underscores deepening strains from soaring prices, a faltering job market, and President Donald Trump's sweeping import tariffs. The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed's Favored Inflation Gauge, climbed 0.3 percent for the month, pushing the annual rate to 2.8 percent, the highest since April 2024 and still stubbornly above the central bank's 2 percent target.

The Burea...