WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans' incomes rose last month by the most in nine months, a hopeful sign after a year of weak wage gains.
The Commerce Department says incomes rose 0.5 percent, the strongest increase since a similar gain in March. Consumer spending was unchanged, following weak gains of 0.1 percent in both October and November.
The income increase after paying taxes and adjusting for inflation was 0.3 percent in December. For the year, inflation-adjusted incomes rose 0.9 percent, just half the modest 1.8 percent rise in 2010.
Meanwhile, U.S. stocks are falling at the opening of trading.
Uncertainty about a deal between Greece and its creditors to ease its debt burden is weighing on investor sentiment.
Minutes after the opening bell, the Dow Jones industrial average is down 105 points, or 0.8 percent, to 12,554.
The broader S&P 500 index is down 12 points, or 0.9 percent, to 1,303. The Nasdaq composite is down 26 points, or 1 percent, to 2.789.
European leaders gathering in Brussels hope to focus on how to stimulate economic growth when huge government spending cuts threaten to push many countries back into recession.
The latest data showed Spain's economy shrank in the last three months of 2011.