Official figures show that US consumer spending rose by slightly more than expected in August, but inflation remained subdued.
But a separate survey showed that US manufacturing grew more slowly than expected in September.
The Commerce Department said spending increased 0.4% after rising by the same margin in July. Economists had expected a smaller rise of 0.3%. Spending accounts for about 70% of US economic activity.
The Federal Reserve's preferred measure of consumer inflation - the personal consumption expenditures price index, excluding food and energy - rose by only 0.1% for a fourth straight month. The annual increase was 1.4% for the third consecutive month.
The Federal Reserve warned last week that underlying inflation was below levels viewed as consistent with the US central bank's mandate of full employment and price stability. It said it was ready to pump more money into the economy to shore up growth and avert a harmful downward spiral in prices.
In August, spending was supported by a 0.5% rise in personal income, the largest rise since December, the Commerce Department report showed. The rise in incomes was above market expectations for a 0.3% increase.
Spending adjusted for inflation rose 0.2% after a similar gain in July. The fourth straight month of gains offered hope that consumers continued to prop up economic growth in the third quarter. With spending a touch below the 0.5% rise in disposable income, the saving rate edged up to 5.8% from 5.7%.
A separate survey showed that US consumer sentiment improved more than expected in September, but was still stuck at its weakest level in more than a year due to economic worries among upper-income families.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final September reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment stood at 68.2, up from a preliminary figure of 66.6 but down from 68.9 in August.
Some worrying signs in manufacturing report
The Institute of Supply Management said its purchasing managers' index (PMI) of activity in the manufacturing sector rose to 54.4 in September, the 14th consecutive month of expansion.
Any figure above 50 means there was growth in activity. September growth was slower than the 55 expected by most analysts, and decelerated from 56.3 in August.
Norbert Ore, head of the ISM business survey committee, said that while the headline figure was relatively strong, the overall picture was less encouraging.
Growth of new orders continued to slow, while production was growing at a faster rate than new orders. Production, however, typically lags and would be expected to weaken further in the fourth quarter, the ISM said. Manufacturing has been a key driver of the US economic recovery from the worst recession in decades, which ended more than a year ago.